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Issue 11 × 2019 www.gp v.is
POLITICS The Strandir dam saga rumbles on
MUSIC Midsummer magic at Harpa
CULTURE Snæfellsnes is filled with art
TRAVEL A time traveller in Flateyri
A new wave of politically-engaged DIY music culture is sweeping over Reykjavík. Read the story of the Post-dreifing collective on P:19
GIG GUIDE × CITY MAP × TRAVEL IDEAS × FOOD
COVER ARTWORK: Loji Höskuldsson
of the leaders of the last big class of indie stars, illustrates this issue's cover with his trademark stitchwork style.
First ABOUT THE ARTWORK: Loji, a rising star in the art world and one
16: Soulflow Bring Diversity to Comedy 12: Bullying At City Hall 14: Songs Of The Dammed, Verse Two
24: Outdoor Art Takes Over Snæfellsnes 34: Make It So: The Next Music Generation 36: Arts And Crafts With William Morris
The DIY Society There is something antiestablishment about Post-dreifing, the collective of bands occupying out cover that believe that music is inherently political. These musicians are not making bedroom pop on their computers like so many in the same wave around the world, but playing rock and roll, punk, guitar-driven indie and so forth. Their DIY attitude perhaps has it roots deep in the punk scene of the eighties, when young people, hating facism and a society that’s not keeping up with the times, picked up instruments, not really knowing what to do. That alone was a revolution; to play without really knowing how (a lot of them new, though). And who could blame them, they just wanted to scream something at society and tell everyone to go fuck themselves. Punk, in my opinion, is definitely one of the most important music scenes in history; they dragged the wagon forward, literally screaming. The next DIY moment was perhaps in Seattle in the nineties, when Kurt Cobain found a channel for his root-
lessness through an electric guitar. The grunge scene came to the fore and captured the emptiness and the sarcasm of generation X in a powerful way. But when I think about a movement like the Post-dreifing, I don’t really think about the music. I think about the society they are building around the music. Around their ideas. And perhaps this is the interesting core of the Icelandic DIY today. Not everyone is striving to score a deal with a record company and become a rock star. Some just want to experiment with society.
Josie Gaitens is a Grapevine intern who is also a freelance arts project coordinator, musician and writer from the Scottish Highlands. She was once erroneously referred to as the Queen of Scotland by a Malaysian newspaper and has been falsely using that title ever since.
Felix Robertson is a theology student from the UK who is currently on a gap year and is trying, with varying degrees of success, to ‘find’ himself in the frigid wastes of the north. He likes classical music, long walks and really dead languages. He's one of our current interns.
EDITORIAL
Elín Elísabet is an illustrator and cartoonist born and raised in Borgarnes. At the tender age of 15, Elín moved to Reykjavík and hasn’t looked back, except for the annual springtime impulse to move someplace quiet and keep chickens. Elín likes folk music, stationery, seal videos, the country of Ireland, and eggs.
Hannah Jane Cohen is based out of Iceland by way of New York. An alumni of Columbia University, Hannah has lived on five continents and speaks three languages fluently. Her visionary work is known for expanding the definitions of emotion, introspection, and above all else, taste.
John Rogers is an Englishman who first joined Grapevine as a music writer, later graduating to Managing Editor. A constant traveller and a lover of art, culture, food & nightlife, he edits our Best of Reykjavík, Best of Iceland, and Iceland Airwaves sister publications. His first book, “Real Life,” was published in 2014.
Shruthi Basappa traded the warmth of Indian summers for Iceland's Arctic winds. She's a food enthusiast masquerading as an architect at Sei Studio, and loves obsessive attention to detail. When not leading our Best of Reykjavík food panel, she can be found trying to become a Michelin restaurant inspector.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson is our Art Director. He's responsible for the design of the magazine and the cover photography. When he's not working here, he DJs as Terrordisco, hosts the Funkþátturinn radio show, or sits at a table in a Laugardalur café, drinking copious amounts of coffee and thinking about fonts.
Andie Fontaine has lived in Iceland since 1999 and has been reporting since 2003. They were the first foreign-born member of the Icelandic Parliament, in 200708, an experience they recommend for anyone who wants to experience a workplace where colleagues work tirelessly to undermine each other.
You can find a complex revolution in that idea. Post-dreifing feels like the music industry is capitalistic and supermarket-style profit oriented, like they told Reykjavík Grapevine in an interview last year. They just want to create an alternative space for art in a time where everything seems so scattered, or a product of a huge record label in the US. And they are building a new society along the way. VG
Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir is a national treasure. One of Iceland's leading illustrators, when she's not drawing in her unique style, she's the front-woman of Icelandic electropop supergroup FM Belfast. Her comic strip Lóaboratorium appears every issue on page 8, and is also available as a daily dose on her Twitter.
LAVA Centre is an awarded, interactive exhibition on Icelandic volcanoes and earthquakes. Learn about the most active Icelandic volcanoes and see all the latest eruptions in 4K. Lava Centre is a mandatory stop on your Golden Circle or South Coast adventure.
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First
The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
4
Icelanders will not hunt any whales this summer for the first time in 17 years.
What Are Icelanders Talking About? Whales, sugar and an army base NEWS
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Words: Andie Fontaine/Valur Grettisson Photo: Art Bicnick
The lack of any real market for whale meat has prompted Iceland’s whalers to forego the hunt this season, for the first time since 2003. The Icelandic National Broadcast station, RÚV, reports that this applies not only to endangered fin whales, but also to the far more plentiful minke whales. Gunnar Bergmann Jónsson, a minke whaler and the CEO of whaling company IP Útgerð, said that his company would skip whaling to focus on sea cucumbers instead. The company will, however, import minke whale meat from Norway to meet what little demand there is in Iceland for it, and will likely begin hunting minke whales again in the spring of 2020. After previous attempts led to lukewarm results, the Directorate of Health is taking another stab at a sugar tax, which could be 20% or higher. There have long been calls for the government to establish a sugar tax. According to a 2013 report from the Directorate of Health, about 21% of adult Icelanders have a BMI of 30 or greater, and 5% of children are overweight. This, among other findings, the Directorate says, leads them to the conclusion that greater measures must be taken to get Icelanders to eat healthier. A higher tax on foods high in sugar— such as candy and soft drinks—has been one proposed way to do that. “The last time this was tried, the price of soft drinks only went up by about 5 ISK per litre, while at the same time the price of chocolate
Published by Fröken ehf. Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík www.grapevine.is grapevine@ grapevine.is Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association www.saf.is Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25,000 copies. PUBLISHER Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson hilmar@grapevine.is +354 540 3601 publisher@ grapevine.is
decreased,” assistant director Kjartan Hreinn Njálsson told reporters. “Now we are proposing a 20% increase, which consumers would actually feel the effects of, while the 5% hike did not in any way go far enough.” According to a declassified 2020 fiscal budget report from the US Department of Defense, the US military plans to spend some
CARTOON
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Valur Grettisson valur@grapevine.is
LISTINGS DIRECTOR Hannah Jane Cohen listings@listings.is
MANAGING EDITOR John Rogers john@grapevine.is
LAYOUT Þorsteinn Davíðsson
ART DIRECTOR Sveinbjörn Pálsson sveinbjorn@ grapevine.is NEWS EDITOR Andie Fontaine andie@grapevine.is CULTURE & TRAVEL EDITOR John Rogers john@grapevine.is PHOTO EDITOR Art Bicnick art@grapevine.is WEB EDITOR Andie Fontaine andie@grapevine.is
$57 million USD on the Keflavík Naval Base. This will include some $18 million USD towards upgrading the airfield’s “dangerous cargo pad,” a paved area for the loading and unloading of explosives and other hazardous cargo, $7 million USD for beddown site prep, referring to launching areas for military aircraft, and the remaining $32 million USD to expand the parking apron, the area where military aircraft are parked when not preparing for take-off. A proposal currently on the table with the Parliamentary Budget Committee suggests repurposing some 300 million ISK from the 600 million ISK the Icelandic government originally allotted for international aid and direct it instead towards helping the US build up the base.
COPY EDITOR Catharine Fulton ILLUSTRATIONS Elín Elísabet Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir Þorsteinn Davíðsson INTERNS Josie Gaitens josie@grapevine.is Felix Robertson felix@grapevine.is Kristrún Hrafnsdóttir kristrun@grapevine.is
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS a rawlings Alexander Jean Le Sage de Fontenay Berglind Jóna
Hlynsdóttir Dadykewl Grayson del Faro Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir MSEA Ragnar Egilsson Rex Beckett Sigurður Ragnarsson Shruthi Basappa PHOTOGRAPHERS a rawlings Berglind Petra Garðarsdóttir Elina Shorokhova Elísabet Davíðsdóttir Kristín Viðarsdóttir Mareike Timm Patrick Ontkovic Sigurður Ragnarsson SALES DIRECTORS Aðalsteinn Jörundsson adalsteinn@ grapevine.is Helgi Þór Harðarson helgi@grapevine.is
EDITORIAL +354 540 3600 editor@grapevine.is ADVERTISING +354 540 3605 ads@grapevine.is DISTRIBUTION & SUBSCRIPTIONS +354 540 3604 distribution@ grapevine.is PRESS RELEASES listings@grapevine.is GENERAL INQUIRIES grapevine@grapevine.is FOUNDERS Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson, Hörður Kristbjörnsson, Jón Trausti Sigurðarson, Oddur Óskar Kjartansson, Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 21 times a year by Fröken ltd. Monthly from December through February, and fortnightly from March til October. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. The Reykjavík Grapevine is distributed around Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður, Borgarnes, Keflavík, Ísafjörður and at key locations along road #1, and all major tourist attractions and tourist information centres in the country. You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored (no articles in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’).
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The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019 ASK A
Lawyer
Q: Was There Ever The Death Penalty In Iceland?
Words: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
So long, to the Ugg boots of donuts
NEWS
Krispy Kreme Bids Adieu
seldom encountered such a hard-working team in his career.
The doughnut index
Another doughnut chain departs from our fair shores
Words: Andie Fontaine Photo: Collage by Andie Fontaine
After barely three years in operation, Krispy Kreme will be leaving Iceland. There are three main locations of the American doughnut chain—Kringlan, Skeifan and Smáralind. The first two locations shuttered their doors on July 1st, but the Smáralind location will remain open until October 1st. The reason for the decision, Vísir reports, is high production costs combined with a relatively small market for the doughnuts.
A great team Viðar Brink, the director of operations for Krispy Kreme, told reporters that the decision weighed heavily upon management. “The vast majority [of our staff] have been with us since we opened in November 2016 and performed fantastically,” he told reporters. “They deserve high praise for their work,” adding that he had
Plokk fiskur
FOOD OF ICELAND
While Iceland has a hard-earned reputation for questionable foodstuffs, there are some things that we unquestionably do well.
Plokkfiskur, a comforting fish stew, is one of these dishes. As an island nation, Icelanders have always had access to high quality,
fresh seafood, and so it’s unsuprising that fish appears commonly in traditional fare. Plokkfiskur, which literally translates as
‘plucked fish,’ is made with either cod or haddock, milk, potatoes and onions. More modern versions of the recipe may include the addition of curry powder, cheese or a bechamel sauce on top but, at its essence, Plokkfiskur is about making the most of straightforward ingredients and providing something hearty and nourishing for hard-working people. Simple
Krispy Kreme announced their arrival to Iceland in July 2016. At that time, Dunkin’ Donuts had been in operation in Iceland for nearly a year. However, the market for doughnuts was apparently overestimated. While both chains enjoyed an initial burst of success, Dunkin’ Donuts was the first to buckle, closing up shop earlier this year. Like Kripsy Kreme today, Dunkin’ Donuts also cited high operational costs and little demand as the reasons behind their departure. No need to worry, though; Icelanders love pastries, and there is still a wide variety of (arguably better) old timey baked goods that you can still buy at countless locations around the country.
and satisfying, many would argue that Plokkfiskur is the best way to enjoy the catch of the day. Individuals who fall into this category include current President, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. Guðni, like every good Icelandic boy, obviously claims his mother’s recipe is the best. But never fear, you too can try the president’s favourite food his wife has filmed her mother-in-law
cooking the dish so that passionate fans of fish and Icelandic politics can have a go at the recipe at home. For those who would rather have their meals made for them, Plokkfiskur is served in a number of restaurants around Reykjavík. Make sure you find somewhere that serves it with traditional, slightly sweet, Icelandic rye bread so you can mop up every last bit. JG
We asked lawyer and Grapevine founding member Jón Trausti Sigurðarson for the scoop. Was there ever the death penalty in Iceland? Well, of course. Until it was abolished in 1928, capital punishment was indeed a feature of the Icelandic justice system. By that time our Scandinavian neighbours, Norway and Sweden, had already abolished the death penalty, in 1905 and 1910 respectively. The Danes lingered, only abolishing it in 1933. The Danes and Norwegians then reinstated the death penalty briefly to execute Nazis after 1945, as is proper. The last time someone was sentenced to death was in 1914. The sentenced was Júlíana Silfá, a woman in her mid-forties who had poisoned her brother by adding phosphorus to his skyr, of course. The sentence was never carried out and it was later commuted to a prison sentence. The last death sentence to actually be carried out in Iceland was way back in 1830 when Agnes and Friðrik were executed for murder, later to be immortalized in a 1995 movie called Agnes. The strangest part of the history of capital punishment in Iceland is probably the so-called “Stóridómur,” a law that made incest a capital crime, for which around 50 people were executed in a period of about 200 years. Obviously, that meant no sexual relations with your immediate family, however it also banned sex with your wife’s sister, son’s wife or wife’s mother, none of whom should have been related to you by blood… or were they? Before Iceland had kings, that is prior to the 13th century, there was no death penalty because, well, there was no executive branch to carry it out. But you could be sentenced to “skóggangur,” whereby anyone who could was allowed to kill you on sight. So I guess that kind of worked like justice on the internet does now, in a way.
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of superstitions.
What dreams may come The main concern of almost all of these superstitions is foul weather, both how to predict it and how to avoid it. As on so many other occasions, dreams are used in this case for divination. For example, if you dream of white sheep, snow can be expected to come soon. In another superstition, most common amongst fishermen, there is the occasion of being visited by the dead in one’s dream. A passed-on relative might warn you of an upcoming storm or, less precisely, if the departed is angry or otherwise agitated, stormy weather is then definitely on the way and it would be a bad idea to go to sea. If this were a dream, it would snow tomorrow
Upside-Down Rakes And White Sheep A sampling of Icelandic weather superstitions
ICELANDIC SUPERSTITIONS Words: Andie Fontaine Photo: Art Bicnick
It’s long been established that if there’s one sure-fire way to start a conversation in Iceland, all you need do is say “how about this weather?” The weather is seriously important in this country, deeply embedded in a culture depend-
JUST SAYINGS
ent on fishing and agriculture for most of its history, so its unsurprising that there are so many superstitions about it. Some are of foreign origin, some are homegrown, but they are all very much a part of the Icelandic pantheon
LÓABORATORIUM
„Það er uppi á honum typpið“
If you like sayings that sound sexual, but aren’t really, then the phrase “Það er uppi á honum typpið” is definitely for you. It literally translates to “It is up on his rod”—rod being a possible innuendo, if you catch my drift. My editor won’t allow other synonyms to be printed. The actual meaning of this saying is, “someone’s excited,” and it doesn’t exclude other genders even though the male pronoun ‘honum’ is more commonly used. People are still unsure why “typpið”—an innuendo— is used, though a Icelandic professor suggests it could be referencing when an animal or a bird raises their tail in excitement. We decline to comment, though we are up on our rod for the answer. KH
Mind your rake While science has yet to devise a way to dependably and accurately control the weather (unless you count cloud seeding, which really just hastens the inevitable), superstitions have long imbued people with the power to drastically alter the weather in the most innocuous ways. One of the most common and persistent weather superstitions of this nature involves the common rake. It is inadvisable to leave a rake in the yard with the prongs pointed skywards, and not just because you could induce some Sideshow Bob hilarity—you could also literally make it rain. Which is pretty rude in a country that already gets its fair share.
The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019 THE GRAPEVINE PLAYLIST The must-hear music of the issue
Singapore Sling Suicide Twist Take some classic 80s goth vocals, add a drum machine and some grunge guitars and wham, bam, a wild Singapore Sling appears. ‘Suicide Twist,’ the first single from their upcoming album ‘Killer Classics,’ is a solid effort for fans of the cult group. The video though, complete with throat slitting and more, is disturbing. Help. HJC
Sturla Atlas & Auður Just A While Hip-hop crooner Sturla Atlas has been relatively quiet for the past two years, but he’s back with a groovy, retro dance number that’ll be sure to make every teenager’s summer driving playlist. Featuring pop heartthrob Auður, it’s not Sturla Atlas’s best work, but it definitely has whet our palettes for more. New album soon? Please? HJC
Auður Enginn eins og þú While the Icelandic summer might be a bit too chilly for this funky beach hit, Auður’s ‘Enginn eins og þú’ (‘No one like you’) might just grab that coveted spot as the song of the season. Snatch up a ticket to Tenerife, don your bikini, and drink a Peroni for maximum effect. HJC
GÓSS - Góssentíð A thoroughly chilled album, these songs are pretty simple, musically—you can generally predict where they’ll go next—but it’s well mixed and Góss bring a lovely vocal tone. Perhaps the listener’s experience might be better if you understand Icelandic, but their one English cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘True Love Leaves No Traces,’ is definitely worth a listen. FR
Birgir - For Our Love A new single by Birgir which could have been written by a computer in New Jersey. There’s nothing unpleasant about it, but the lyrics are vapid, the message banal and the tune pretty much instantly forgettable. No need to look it up if you actually want to hear it, however, because you can expect to hear it in every Bónus on repeat for the next three months. FR
Skaði Manifesto Pentagrams, lingerie, and confetti merge in Skaði’s new music video for her mantra, the ‘Skaði Manifesto.’ In it, the Eurovision dark horse makes sure you know who she is (it’s “motherfucking Skaði!”) over a bumping melodic goth beat. HJC
Listen, watch & hear more tracks: gpv.is/play
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Jóhanna Sigríður Svavarsdóttir Employee Manager – Captain
The Actress Karen Erludóttir Ticket Sales
The Climber Theresia Ramm Guide
The Footballer Kaelon Fox Assistant
The King Daniel Annisius
Assistant Manager – Sales
The Dane
Mr. Happy
Hanna Björk Klitgaard
Steve Seguna Ticket Sales
Ticket Sales
The Recorder Nacho Oria
The Observer Katrina Davies
Guide
Guide
The Mustang Sverrir Yngvi Karlsson
María Torralba Escobedo Field Manager – Ticket Sales
l The Soccer Gir Krista Eik Harðardóttir Ticket Sales
The Islander Ingibjörg Ósk Ingvarsdóttir
Guide – Ticket Sales
The Original Hermann Daðason
Head Captain Oak Boats
Head Captain RIB Speedboats
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The Navigator Aðalsteinn Steinþórsson Captain
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Aksel Nordeng Bjarnason
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Head Guide
The Pro Golfer Hafþór Hermannsson Guide
The Tough Guy Ingimar Eydal Óskarsson Captain
Designer
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ic The Enthusiast Serena Lagorio Guide
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an The Country M Guðni Sigþórsson Captain
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10 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
Freyja and Frigg under a streaming man-made waterfall pouring the tears of Gylfi’s smaught enemies over the assembled throng, who partied like it was 1399. A l s o unconfirmed were rumours of heightened security at local museums and vaults; indeed, the presence of so many plundercurious Vikings in one place is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any sensible Italian noble. Afterwards, Gylfi and Alexandra set sail for the Maldives, Singapore and Bali on their honeymoon, and the horde snuck away on the longship under cover of darkness, vanishing creepily from whence they came.
FOOTBALL
We Are Not The Champions
One of the top stories of this year’s domestic Icelandic football division—named The Pepsi League, because everyone knows that sugary soft drinks enhance fitness and sporting performance—is the situation of Valur, the reigning champions. Having romped to a notable triple last year by winning the league title, the League Cup, and the Super Cup all in one season, hopes for 2019 were high. The club signed Iceland’s goalkeeping hero, Hannes “Wild Claws” Halldórson— a half-man-half-giant, with huge hands said to be able to reach up and grasp the moon itself. With this Messi-smiting World Cup behemoth in goal, surely the champions would be unassailable. But that’s not how the first half of the season has played out. Valur suffered a surprising slump in form, languishing in the table’s lower reaches for the opening weeks. Meanwhile, their deadly rivals—Vesturbær posh boys KR—pulled a Man City by beating everyone in sight, quickly doubling Valur’s points tally. One contributing factor may be the strange case of Gary Martin, the journeyman English striker who’s played in Iceland for much of his career. He signed a three-year deal with Valur—thought to be the final move of his playing life—only to mysteriously leave the club just five months later. He immediately signed for Westman Islands league stragglers ÍBV, making them his fifth club in three years. Weird. Nevertheless, Valur have started to turn their season around with three wins in their last five games. It would take KR having a train wreck from here on in for them to be in with a chance of protecting the Pepsi League title. But, in the world of Icelandic football, much stranger things have happened. JR
Rúrik's Instamillion An ocean of broken hearted tears as Rúrik gets a gf
Oh, Those Summer Smites Gylfi’s blockbuster wedding, and the ongoing Insta-saga of Sexy Rúrik Words: John Rogers Illustration: Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir It’s the summer fallow season, when cottongrass blows through the air, the only sound anyone wants to hear is ice falling into a glass, and Iceland’s brave smiters take some time off from humiliating England, saving penalties from Messi, and repelling mobs of angry Turks. However, there’s still plenty of news to report, from weddings, to transfers, injuries, and online travails. Here’s your latest roundup of the goings on in Camp Smite.
The invasion of Italy If you follow Iceland’s footballing internationals on Instagram, you’ll
have noticed that Gylfi Sigurðsson got married this June when your entire feed was overtaken with shiny-faced, gel-coiffed, orangetanned smiters in beach-sneakers and blazers. Taking a break from his trademark darting runs, fiery inswinging shots, laser-guided free kicks and skied penalties, Gylfi “the twinkle toed maimer” and the rambunctious holidaying horde romped over to Lake Como for the ceremony. Gylfi was duly wed to model Alexandra Ívarsdóttir in a ceremony that unnamed insiders called “an Ásatrú extravaganza,” including horns of mead and invocations of
In other football romance news, Rúrik Gíslason is no longer a member of the Instagram millionaire club. “Sexy” Rúrik went viral during Iceland’s ill-fated inaugural World Cup run, despite playing for just a few minutes. His flowing locks and craggy features managed to captivate a large online audience, who immediately started stalking h i m on I n s t a g r a m , s en d i n g his follower count rapidly up through the hundreds of thousands to the magic million mark. It turned out most of this new army of fans were women from South America, putting Rúrik in the unlikely position of being an influencer of young Peruvian ladies. It also led to some lucrative modelling contracts that have, by all accounts, far outpaced Rúrik’s income as a sportsman. However, Rúrik recently made the faux-pas of revealing himself to be a human person with a normal life, thus alienating his lusty masses. His crime? He posted a picture of himself with a sultry lady-friend
at the aforementioned wedding, prompting an immediate drop of over 8,000 followers, who presumably went into mourning, beating their pillows and crying rivers of mascara like widows in a telenovela. Will they forgive Sexy Rúrik? Or will he stride boldly forth with his beautiful belle and conquer the world regardless? Tune in next issue to find out.
Holiday boot camp No sooner is one season over, than another begins. After the festivities of GylfStock—and some holidays back in the motherland—the smiters have been reporting for preseason training at their clubs. Some are staying put. Jóhann “The Berg” Guðmundsson posted a classic tourist pic of himself at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall before getting back to the business of improving on his injury-smitten 2018/19 campaign as he rejoins Premier League stragglers Burnley. Alfreð “The Arctic Fox in the Box” Finnbogason is recovering from a tendon injury and hoping to cement his rightful place as Augsburg's top striker; Aron Gunnarsson, as previously reported, is heading from Cardiff to Qatar for Al Arabi; and star player Gylfi will remain at Everton. Others are moving to new battlefields. Ari Skúlason has signed a two-year contract at KV Oostende, where he’ll play as an attacking left-back. Things are less sure for Birkir “Horror Hooves” Bjarnason, who was pictured communing with his kin on a horse -riding trip in Akureyri recently. After a torrid period of bench-warming at newly promoted Aston Villa, he could be seeking to re-establish himself as a first team regular—although rumours abound about his future. All will be revealed in due course.
“Rúrik made the faux-pas of revealing himself to be a human person.’”
Follow our live-tweets on Euro qualification matchdays on Twitter at @rvkgrapevine. Iceland's indomitable and unstoppable march to the Euro 2020 trophy will continue throughout 2019, as Aron, Gylfi, Jóhann Berg and the boys smite their way through all the continents of the world, laying waste to any team foolish enough to step into their terrible path to glory.
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12 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
Vigdís Hauksdóttir is on the warpath.
City Councillor Accused Of Bullying: “This Is War” Controversial councillor Vigdís Hauksdóttir faces accusations of bullying Words: Valur Grettisson Photos: Art Bicnick
Reykjavík city councilperson and municipal chair of the Centre Party Vigdís Hauksdóttir has been accused of bullying her Chief of Staff, Helga Björg Ragnarsdóttir, after the latter was herself accused of bullying a staff member, who subsequently sued the city last year. Helga Björg’s complaint revolved around Vigdís’s behavior in a public discussion where the councillor repeatedly misstated her staffer had bullied a former employee. This has led to an official complaint to the anti-bullying team, who have required that Vigdís participate in a formal procedure in investigating Helga Björg’s allegations. This is the first time an official has tried to force an elected official into this kind of investigation. But unsurprisingly, Vigdís has refused to participate, stating that there are no legal grounds for it. And she has a point. “This is the city hall inquisition,“ she wrote on her Facebook page, adding that Helga Björg could go to court if she wants to settle the issue.
Circus animals
Additionally, the city—and therefore the taxpayers—fronted the bill for the subsequent trial surrounding the reprimand, which amounted to over one million ISK. The trial’s condemnation of Helga Björg was unusually harsh. The documents stated that the chief of staff’s conduct was condescending and that she treated her staff member like an “... animal in a circus that should stand and sit as she pleased.” But it was clear that she did not bully the staff member— only that the reprimand was unlawful.
A culture of bullying In consequence, the Centre Party and members of the Independence Party officially complained at a City board meeting that they had serious concerns about the behaviour described in the verdict of the district court. They claimed that it was thus necessary to evaluate Helga B j ö r g ’s f u t u r e within City Hall. The People’s Party and the Socialist Party subsequently lodged a complaint t h a t t h er e w a s actually an overwhelming culture of bullying allowed in the workplace. Vigdís, in particul a r, r e p e a t e d l y highlighted this belief in public discussions. The Chief Administrative Officer of City Hall, Stefán Eiríksson, disputed these claims. The court’s verdict was not about bullying, he emphasised, but was actually about administrative actions and the legality of them. Though this
“Congratulations, the inquisition of the City Hall has been activated. I am an elected official and work in the mandate of my voters.”
To understand the ridiculousness of this complaint , though, it’s necessary to travel back to last summer, when, shortly after the municipal elections, newspapers in Iceland reported on the severance pay of a City staff member. Reports stated that he was given 250,000 ISK in compensation for being unlawfully reprimanded by Helga Björg.
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13 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
was correct, the person that the case involved—a.k.a. the guy that Helga Björg had reprimanded— said repeatedly in his statements for the court that she had bullied him. In an unprecedented move, Helga Björg responded to these allegations in an open letter on the City’s webpage, demanding that the presidium look into these matters and establish an investigative committee to explore whether or not she had been a bully. She also said that the misstatements of various councillors were serious and hurtful.
I am no circus animal! There wasn’t much subsequent news about the case until a few weeks ago when Helga Björg’s attorney served Vigdís a 100-page statement accusing the Centre Party leader of bullying. Vigdís was far from humble about the statement and took to Facebook to vent, writing, “Congratulations, the inquisition of the City Hall has begun. I am an elected official and work in the mandate of my voters. Someone is obsessed here. I am no ‘circus animal.’” Later, Vigdís said in an interv i e w a t RÚ V that she met this woman, Helga Björg, at three meetings in total. “The fact that she is accusing me of bullying her is obviously absolutely insane,” she said. Vigdís then added that her only crime was that of defending
Vigdís in a lighter moment
the staff member who was reprimanded. “And that is part of my duty,” she added. V i g d í s also said that she refused completely to comply with the anti-bullying committee. “There is no legal ground for this. If these people want to talk to me, I suggest the courtroom.“
“How much will this circus cost the taxpayers?“
What if she says no? It’s not clear what's going to happen next. Kolbrún Baldursdóttir, a council member for the People's Party, and a psychiatrist that used to specialise in bullying, said that there was no way to force Vigdís into the investigation. In an interview with radio station Bylgjan, she said, “You can’t reprimand or fire an elected official. Beside it’s not possible to force people to participate in
an investigation like this if they don’t want to participate in it. So if one thinks that the individual has done something wrong, the only way is the courtroom.”
This is war Vigdís’s reactions have been harsh and she’s now on a warpath. Her latest addition to the argument was on Facebook, where she asked, “How much will this circus cost the taxpayers?” She repeated that
it was impossible for her to bully a woman that she had barely met. She then added: “This is a war of officials against an electorate. If they have something to say, they can go to court.” She then said that she is seriously considering a libel case but didn’t disclose against who or for what exactly. It seems the odd dispute of bullying in City Hall is far from over, and might have just begun.
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14 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
tradition is Elías Svavar Kristinsson. This man, who lives in Árneshreppur, believes that Hvalárvirkjun will destroy the natural beauty of the region, and so when he learned that VesturVerk was ignoring due process and moving forward with construction, he took matters into his own hands. Part of this involved physically putting himself between construction equipment and the area where the backhoes and bulldozers want to go. He had a surprisingly courteous exchange with a backhoe driver, who eventually did stand down, with Elías telling Stundin, “He took this with an incredible amount of calm. He said: I don’t intend to work tonight, so I’m stopping and maybe it’s best that I stop. He was a polite guy, but I was maybe more wound up.”
What do the people want? When a development project of this scale is pitched as something that will benefit the community, it stands to reason that what the people actually want should matter. However, who counts as “the people” can be an entirely different story. A Gallup poll from last May showed that 40.9% of respondents favoured the project, while 31.4% were against it. However, this was a national poll, with many (if not most) of these opinions coming from people who do not even live in Árneshreppur. As mentioned above, the majority of local landowners are against the project. In addition, in late June representatives of the Icelandic Environment Association submitted a petition of over 5,400 signatures to the Ministry of the Environment, calling upon the institution to expedite the declaration of the Drangajökull glacier region, where the construction is slated to take place, as a protected area.
One of the many beautiful falls which may disappear
Songs Of The Dammed: Reprise A community grapples with the meaning of “progress” Words: Andie Fontaine Photos: Art Bicnick
Árneshreppur (pop. 53), a village on however, opposition to the project has the northern shore of the Westfjords, been growing, and has even manifested has for the past year now been a flash- itself in the form of direct action. point for some of the bigger questions facing Iceland as a whole: the nature of The show must democracy, how urbanisation contingo on ues to eclipse the countryside, and balancing industrial progress with the Construction of the project falls mostly preservation of the nation’s unique and upon the shoulders of VesturVerk, a unspoiled wilderness. contracting company owned by the Hvalárvirkjun, power company a project involvHS Orka and ing multiple dams the investment being constructed company Gláma on the Hvalá river, (HS Orka, in turn, is is either a blessmajority controlled ing that will bring by Magma Energy power, infrastrucSweden A.B.). As ture and jobs to this H v a l á r v i r k j u n’s struggling commufruition depends nity, or a needless on VesturVerk, the money sink that company has been would benefit a a focal point. foreign company One of the but do nothing to most contentious save Árneshreppur. subjects surroundIt depends on who ing the project A struggling community you ask. i s t h e q u e s t i on When the Grapevine visited this of what the landowners where the community last year, opinions were construction is to take place have to sharply divided. Over the past month, say. In point of fact, the majority of
landowners in Drangavík, where the bulk of the development has been slated, filed an appeal to the Ministry of the Environment to halt construction. Snæbjörn Guðmundsson, a spokesperson for these landowners, told RÚV that their ownership of the land can be traced back to 1890, and that they will never allow VesturVerk to go ahead with construction. This would seem to scuttle any plans for development but, as history often teaches us, it is monumentally difficult to halt development once a company has set their sights on completing a project. True to form, it was then unsurprising when RÚV later reported that VesturVerk had opted to go ahead with construction anyway.
What good will it do? The benefits of the project are difficult to calculate definitively, but the National Planning Agency did weigh in on the subject. By their estimation, Hvalárvirkjun would increase revenue for the region. Beyond that, the agency painted a fairly grim picture. They determined that the project would have a negative impact on the environment, an uncertain effect on plant and sea life, create zero jobs, and have a negative effect on tourism. We must bear in mind that there i s c on s i d er a b l e support for the project in Árneshreppur. Some of these locals regard opposition to being the work of outof-towners imposing their romanticised view of the countryside onto the people who have to live there; people who desperately need a stable source of power to keep the community alive. That said, the regional will of the people of Árneshreppur is anything but unanimous, and as it stands now, whether the project will continue to go forward is in the hands of national institutions.
“When a development project of this scale is pitched as something that will benefit the community, it stands to reason that what the people actually want should matter.”
Country roads While many international readers associate protest in Iceland with Reykjavík in particular, there is in fact a long history of direct action in rural Iceland as well, from the mysterious dynamiting of a small dam on the Laxá river in 1970 to local resistance to the Kárahnjúkur dam project in the early 21st century. Continuing this sacred
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16 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
Comedy Night See Soulflow at Gaukurinn every Monday night
Kimi, Katrín and Katrín, dismantling the patriarchy
Creating Their Own Space Soulflow brings women and queer comedy nights to Gaukurinn
Words: Felix Robertson Photos: Patrik Ontkovic
At Soulflow Comedy, a new show happening every Monday night at Gaukurinn, everyone is included. The weekly event, which will showcase exclusively women and queer performers, is causing a shockwave in the Reykajvík comedy scene. “Comedy can feel really intimidating,” says Kimi Tayler, one of the organisers. “What we all want is a space where people can feel like they’ll be supported.”
The core of our souls “Soulflow came from our hearts, deep from the core of our souls,” says Krúz Estée, another one of the organisers, lounging on a couch at the venue. Katrín Björk, the third organiser, nods. “We’re always trying to encourage more women and queer people to be a part of the comedy scene here,” she chimes in. “And when Gaukurinn, which is a really friendly and progressive place, approached us, it seemed like a good platform.”
It may seem surprising that nothing like this has ever been done before in Reykjavík, but Kimi emphasises that, in many ways, the comedy scene here is not as diverse as you’d expect it to be. “I came here five years ago after doing comedy in London and, when I was starting out I was shocked at how limited it was,” she says. “I met comedian Jono Duffy, and he was presenting himself as the only gay comedian in Iceland. I couldn’t believe that was the case, but it really was. That’s partly because Iceland’s comedy scene is so young of course—it’s moving at a pace, but there’s still a way to go.”
New talent, safe spaces Apart from providing a welcoming space for women and queer comedians, Soulflow also aims to help amateur comedians get onstage. “It can be a bit intimidating to get into comedy here,” explains Katrín. “There are a lot of comedy shows where everyone’s
been doing it for a very long time and there’s not much visibility for people trying it out for the first time, so as an audience member you start to think it’s impossible. It’s going to be one of our main aims to help a lot of people to try it out.” Their first s h o w, w h i c h takes place on July 15th, will certainly provide plenty of opportunities for new comedians. In the first half, there will be improv games where the stage will open up to anyone in the audience who desires to show their stuff. Seasoned comedians will be on hand to answer any questions or concerns from the newbies. “When you’re starting out, you want a safe space,” says Kimi. “If we can create something like that, it would be really special, and it’s what we would have wanted when we were starting out.”
comedy. We’ve got an opportunity here to really diversify and bring in many more kinds of comedy, such as musical comedy, or character or sketch comedy.” This diversity is reflected in the very make-up of the group. “I’m a weird one! I haven’t ever done stand-up,” laughs Krúz. “However, I do something called freestyle rap and do rap battles and a lot of quickwitted bullshit. This is a passion project for me in a way, because I love this place and love the concept so much.”
"It’s Reykjavík in 2019 and there are still no women or queer shows. It’s about time there was some visibility for us."
A diverse form In the long term, the group is interested in moving beyond the traditional stand-up comedy you’ll usually find in Reykjavík. “Comedy is such a diverse form,” explains Kimi. “But it can sometimes get stuck as just being stand-up
Every kind of response The comedy scene in Reykjavík is still small and with Soulflow now taking the prime Monday night slot at Gaukurinn, there’s still a question of whether or not they could get some less than positive responses. Katrín laughs when asked about this. “I hope we get every kind of response!” she says. “We want to open up a lot more doors and windows,” says Krúz reflectively. “It’s Reykjavík in 2019, and there are still no women or queer shows, and considering there is comedy available every evening here, it’s about time there was some visibility for us.”
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Hallgrímskirkja Friends of the Arts Society 37th season
THE INTERNATIONAL ORGAN SUMMER IN HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA JUNE 22 - AUGUST 28 2019 WEEKEND CONCERTS WITH INTERNATIONAL CONCERT ORGANISTS SATURDAYS AT 12 NOON AND SUNDAYS AT 5 PM 22nd/ 23rd June 29th/ 30th June
Björn Steinar Sólbergsson organist at Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík Mattias Wager, organist at Stockholm Cathedral, Sweden Johannes Skoog, concert organist, Sweden
6th/7th July
Johannes Zeinler, Austria, 1st prize winner at the Chartres International Organ Competition 2018
13th/ 14th July
Yves Rechtsteiner, concert organist, France
20th/ 21st July
Isabelle Demers, Canadian concert organist and organ professor, USA
27th/ 28th July 3rd/ 4th August
Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir, organist at Hjallakirkja Kópavogur, Iceland
10th/ 11th August Susannah Carlsson, organist at Lund Cathedral, Sweden 17th/ 18th August 25th August
Johannes Geffert, concert organist from Bonn, Germany
Mattias Wager, organist at Stockholm Cathedral, Sweden
LUNCHTIME CONCERTS WITH ICELANDIC ORGANISTS - THURSDAYS AT 12 NOON 27th June 4th July 11th July 18th July 25th July 1st August 8th August 15th August 22nd August
Tuuli Rähni, organist at Ísafjörður Church Guðmundur Sigurðsson organist at Hafnarfjörður Church Eyþór Franzson Wechner organist at Blönduós Church Jón Bjarnason, organist at Skálholt Cathedral with Vilhjálmur Ingi Sigurðsson and Jóhann Ingvi Stefánsson trumpets. Ágúst Ingi Ágústsson organist Reykjavík with Lene Langballe, zink/ cornetto and recorder, Denmark Steinar Logi Helgason organist Reykjavík, with 3 baritone singers: Fjölnir Ólafsson, Örn Ýmir Arason and Hafsteinn Thorolfsson Guðný Einarsdóttir organist at Háteigskirkja, Reykjavík Kitty Kovacs organist at Landakirkja, Westman Islands Eyþór Ingi Jónsson organist at Akureyri Church
LUNCHTIME CONCERTS WEDNESDAYS AT 12 NOON WITH SCHOLA CANTORUM PRIZE WINNING CHAMBER CHOIR OF HALLGRIMSKIRKJA Schola Cantorum chamber choir of Hallgrimskirkja is celebrating it´s 11th season of the popular Wednesdays Lunchtime Summer Concert this summer. The choir sings various beautiful music from their repertoire, both Icelandic choral pearls as well as famous choral works by Byrd, Bruchner, Handel, Mendelssohn and more, occasionally accompanied by the great Klais organ. Conductor is Hörður Áskelsson, Music Director of Hallgrimskirkja. Coffee and tea served after the concert.
LISTVINAFELAG.IS SCHOLACANTORUM.IS
Ticket sales at the entrance 1 hr before the concerts and online www.midi.is Lunchtime concerts – 30 min: 2500 ISK - Schola cantorum – 30 min: 2700 ISK Sunday concerts –60 min: 3000 ISK Artistic Director: Hörður Áskelsson Music Director of Hallgrimskirkja/ Guest Artistic Director 2019: Mattias Wager, organist Stockholm Cathedral. Manager: Inga Rós Ingólfsdóttir Concert Manager 2019: Sólbjörg Björnsdóttir
19 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
In a bright sunlit living room lined with antique furniture and tchotchkes, a group of friends are gathered around a large wooden table, pouring coffee and delighting over the theme song to The Price Is Right. More people arrive in a casual open-door-policy manner, making themselves right at home. The seven who are here are but a tiny fraction of the members of Post-dreifing, a sprawling music and art collective that is rallying grassroots, underground artists. Incidentally, they are also igniting a resurgence of indie rock and weird music in the Reykjavík music scene. And they are doing it together. Post-dreifing is mainly focused on creating a platform for young musicians and artists to support each other and collaborate in terms of creating music, releasing projects and organizing events. They operate as an egalitarian democracy and therefore do not consider any individual to be the founder or leader of the group. Although only a handful of them are here to meet, they make it clear that none of them speak unilaterally for the group.
Started with a bang Formed in late 2017, Post-dreifing came together after a crazy concert called Lovely Great Time in an old studio space in Grandi. Over ten bands played, including GRÓA, Korter í Flog, asdfhg., Umer Consumer, and bagdad brothers. They each played a ten minute set with
Words: Rex Beckett Photos: Patrik Ontkovic
20 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
“We’re all young, we’re all idealistic. Whatever we do, or whatever the impact, we’re just making friends along the way.” ramshackle gear, but the impact of the show had a lasting effect on the people involved. “That was the first Post-dreifing show,” says Jóhannes Bjarki Bjarkason, of the band Skoffín. “Well, it wasn’t really a Post-dreifing show, but it formed out of that.” Shortly thereafter, things started to bubble. Born at a time when the local musical landscape was mainly dominated by hip hop, Post-dreifing was formed by a loose group of friends performing
aesthetic,” says Hjálmar Karlsson, a member of the band Sideproject. “At least not, ‘here’s hip hop and this is what’s popular, let’s focus on this.’ It just started as a group of friends wanting to release music together.” The common thread that ties them together is a focus on creating and playing music and supporting other people doing the same as opposed to selling or generating profit.
of evaluating and approving new projects, which is done in general meetings where anyone involved in Post-dreifing in any way shape or form has the opportunity to take part. “It’s not really a decision-making process,” says Auðunn Orri Sigurvinsson, bassist in Milkhouse and Skoffín. “Someone has an idea and we comment on that, and if we’re strongly opposed to it, if it clashes with our core values, of course there’s gonna be a discussion. Maybe we just don’t do it. But that’s never happened before.” “We meet up and then the people who have shown up are part of the decision making,” says Ida Schuften Juhl, known as IDK IDA. “Everyone always has the opportunity to be part of it, but if you choose not to come then we don’t have to wait for that person to respond.” However they do try to stay organized and professional, keeping minutes of their meetings and posting them for all members to read and, if necessary, voice opposition to.
Haters back off As for the aforementioned core values, everyone in the collective has their own
You snooze you lose democracy “It has roots in anarchism
in guitar-based indie bands, minimal electronic artists, and teenage riot grrl punks. However, the collective never aimed to define itself in terms of any specific style, but rather on values of self-sufficiency, anti-capitalism and collaboration. “I don’t think Post-dreifing has an
a n d do-ityourself, do-ittogether sort of thinking,” says Snæbjörn H e l g i Arnason Jack, artist name Faxacon. This is best reflected by their process
opinions and views, but they agree on Post-dreifing’s general stance: Don’t Be An Asshole. “I think the core basic values are anarchist, anti-capitalist, pro-feminist, all of this,” says Auðunn. “As long as you don’t hate a certain group of people for no reason. I’d say it’s human decency and just basic kindness of being a person. I think that translates really well into the whole group. I think everyone really shares those ideals. We haven’t ever had to say no to someone wanting to take part in Post-dreifing because they don’t have those ideals; we don’t appeal to such people.” In fact, many members of the Postdreifing family have been involved in recent movement of peaceful protests against the deportation of refugees from Iceland. A few have been teargassed and detained by police in these demonstrations. “Not every individual participates in all of these movements, but I think that at its most basic, Postdreifing is anti-oppression,” says Jóhannes. “Whether that be oppression from the state, oppression from markets, or cultural oppression.” The group is currently working on updating their manifesto to incorporate their ethics and values. “What we have talked a lot about was that we agree that art is inherently political,”
says Ida, in regards to the re-drafting of said manifesto. Snæbjörn continues: “I heard a guy in an interview once say, ‘All music is political because it comes from the environment and the environment is political.’”
Build the stage The collective’s goal, though, is primarily artistic. Their purpose is building and sustaining this platform they have created. For many of the emerging artists, this means being given a space to play live where they were unable to before. For others it means reaching out to new audiences and connecting with other communities. “I played my first gigs through a friend group that are the same people who are in Post-dreifing, but it was just a smaller friend group back then,” says Atli Finnsson, of Sideproject. “I personally never had a gig before Postdreifing.” “The band I was in before was pretty big at the time and we would usually get an audience, but it was always the same audience,” says Auðunn. “We would never grow into any sort of mainstream. We had a song on the radio for two days but we always stayed really underground. When Post-dreifing started up we hadn’t played a show in a really long time. But because every one of us is in the collective, when we came back on the scene we filled the entirety of Húrra just because of this huge backing.” The collective are as active as possible in creating live events, despite the shrinking number of
venues to play in the city. Over 2018, they held a brief concert series at Bravó called Smá í tanna, where they built the stage by hand out of wood pallets. They credit the DIY basement venue R6013 and its founder, Ægir Sindri Bjarnason, as being instrumental to Post-dreifing, as the two started to take off around the same time. Still, one single venue is insufficient.
Soundtrack for beer sales “The main problem is, except for R6013 there are no places to play,” says Hjálmar. “There’s Mengi, which is really good, but because of how it operates concerts are expensive there. Also, just this connection of alcohol and music. Music just being this thing when people go out to party. You can’t play a concert unless the bar thinks it’s going to get a profit, so you’re just a soundtrack for beer sales.” Their other concern is the fact that many of their members and their fanbase are under the age of 20 (the legal drinking age in Iceland), which has previously resulted in bands being thrown out of their own gigs by doormen. Sometimes even being thrown off stage. “Even Húrra now has closed down,” says Auðunn. “That leaves Gaukurinn, which has a great soundsystem and a fantastic stage but it’s
21 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
still a bar. That’s almost the only place you can play music except for R6013, which is an all-ages inclusive place.”
Throw a party While Reykjaík is a hard city to play in these days, Post-dreifing have been able to put on their annual countryside Hátíðni festival with remarkable ease. Happening for the second time over July 5-7, with 32 bands playing over two days, the festival sprung from a hairbrained party plan from one Postdreifing member. “I went to Happy Fest a few years ago and I was so deeply inspired by the super crazy party that they were having,” says Snæbjörn. “I used to have parties at my place all the time, but now I live in a tiny little cellar and I couldn’t have any parties. I decided, I’m gonna have a party and I’m just gonna rent a county community centre and I’m just gonna invite all my friends to come there. It was set for the first weekend of January 2017.” He invited bands to play–many of them current Post-dreifing members– he rented a PA and truck from his own
“That’s just been used to fund releases and gigs. Another thing is that anyone who releases through Post-dreifing can decide if they just want to donate the money to Post-dreifing. I think some of the bands do that.” This non-profit recycling system has been very effective for them so far and they believe that if they continue this way, it will be sustainable. “If we keep doing it the way we’re doing now and we stick to the same core values, then it’s always going to keep going, no matter what,” says Auðunn. “I think we can go broke, I think we could go into debt, and none of that would matter because we would still be making music. We’re not recording this is fancy studios. We’re doing this on very simple, self-sufficient ways, which means that we’re never gonna have to stop this while we still hold the same core values we do now.” The need to generate some money in order to fund their endeavours can come into conflict with their values, however. “It’s very difficult being anti-capi-
tably led to more projects and collaborations. It has grown organically from friendship, kindness, enthusiasm, consensus and gumption. They have created and continue to grow a unique, vibrant, ambitious and open-hearted community, where human connection is the greatest currency. Sitting around the table, sharing cookies and coffee with these friends that go above and beyond to inspire each other’s art and bring it to fruition, one feels a true wealth. “We’re all young, we’re all idealistic,” says Hjálmar. “We want to do a lot of things. We say a lot of things and put things out. How it’s been and how it probably will be for some time is just, why the fuck would you do all this work by yourself when we can do this with twenty, thirty or fifty people? Whatever we do or whatever impact, we’re just making friends along the way.”
Post-dreifing’s Hátíðni festival takes place July 5-7th in Borðeyri, northwest Iceland. Tickets are 3,000 ISK. For more information about the collective, visit post-dreifing.is
The A-Z of Post-dreifing The Post-dreifing scene has so much going on, it can be hard to find your bearings. To get you started, here’s a rough guide to the main players, bands, venues and events that make up the collective. asdfhg. A keyboard-mashing lo-fi trio, and Kraumur Music Awards winner. Their album ‘Örvæntið Ekki!,’ or ‘Don’t Despair!’, came out in 2018 bagdad brothers The breakthrough indie band from the Postdreifing scene. This duo is the current holder of the ‘Best Live Band’ Grapevine Music Award. Bandcamp The collective’s primary outlet for selling music is post-dreifing.bandcamp.com D.I.T. Levelling up from Do It Yourself, the modus operandi of Post-dreifing is Do It Together. More hands make light work. DRULLUMALL Compilation series of Post-dreifing artists and collaborators. The third edition is expected soon.
pocket, and he ended up deeply in debt. However, with the collective’s help, they were later able to transform this party concept into the first Hátíðni festival. “When Post-dreifing started, it sort of came up that it was something we wanted to do again, but now I had a lot of help and I didn’t have to rent the gear,” says Snæbjörn. “We just borrowed all the gear and it went really great. We broke even last time. It was perfect. It went so well that we’re gonna do it again in an abandoned primary school building of the tiny hamlet Borðeyri.” Borrow, barter and debt In order to throw the festival again without sinking into debt, the collective relies on a do-it-together model of lending, borrowing and volunteering. “When we go out to do this we try to keep all the money to a minimum,” says Snæbjörn. “We keep the ticket price to a minimum but we of course accept generous donations. We’re expecting about 200 people to come so we’re expecting to break even, but then if there’s any extra money it just goes towards having the next one or releasing more records, having more awesome shows in Reykjavík.” They apply this same principle to the financial structure of their releasing platform, as well. They have to be willing to take one for the team. “We started out by all pitching in some money to make our first compilation, Drullumall 1, and we got some pretty okay money from that,” says Atli.
talist and advertising it, because we live in a capitalist society, so we have to take part in it of course,” says Auðunn. “We can’t spend money to make music, give everyone the music and then spend money to make music and give everyone the music. Cause we don’t give anyone a salary. No one in Post-dreifing has ever received a dollar for their work. And nobody expects it.”
Bright ideals Yet they remain very optimistic about what the future holds for them. They hope to have their own physical headquarters soon and many members hope to someday own and operate their own venue. They want to bridge connections with similar communities and collectives in other cities and countries and book tours using the same financial principles. They would simply like to be able to live off their work. “Post-dreifing is kind of a regenerative system,” says Jóhannes. “Because if someone cannot work on a project, they can always say, ‘Hey, I can’t do this’ and somebody steps in for them. It’s kind of like a relay race.” Their biggest asset is their strength in numbers. Forming Post-dreifing as a group allowed them to build a network of friends who were creating music and art, which in turn allowed them to host more diverse events, which inevi-
GRÓA Lo-fi all-girl indie-rock trio who were named the ‘One To Watch’ at the Grapevine Music Awards earlier this year. A new album, ‘Í Glimmerheimi,’ came out recently Gyðjan Uxi Every indie label needs a weird Casio-core chiptune/auto-tune alt-pop star. Right? Hátíðni The Post-dreifing collective’s annual countryside festival, happening each July in different rural locations. IDK IDA One-to-watch. IDK IDA is an impressive, fast-rising electronica-and-voice musician who uses found sounds in her productions. Karja A poet who has published three books as part of the collective. She has done readings at notable events like the Women’s Strike. K.óla Solo project of Milkhouse frontwoman Katrín Helga Ólafsdóttir. Synthy indie pop with cute emo feels and quirky melodies. Korter í flog Thrashy, trashy, sludgy rock ‘n’ roll band with a big live reputation. Released albums in 2017 and 2019.
Kosmonatka A visual artist who works on Post-dreifing’s visuals, among other things. Lovely Great Time The one-day festival from which the collective was born. Milkhouse Dreamy, soaring indie rock five-piece pre-dating the collective by a few years, bringing back 2009 krútt vibes in a big way. Póstdreifing The name of the mail distribution company from which the Post-dreifing world-play was born. Lawsuit pending, probably. R6013 The not-for-profit downtown venue that’s a touchstone of this insurgent scene. You can find many Post-dreifing bands playing there from week to week. sideproject High-energy, adrenalised, mashed-up, genre-defying act that sounds like Atari Teenage Riot’s energydrink-swilling runaway child. Skoffín The first act to be released by Post-dreifing. Released an album, ‘Skoffín bjargar heiminum,’ or “Skoffín saves the world,” in early 2019. Spaðabani In-your-face feminist art-punk band who are shouting down the patriarchy and giving zero fucks. Still waiting on a first release, so catch them live. stirnir Shoegazey bedroom chamber pop that feels like The Durutti Column and The Dream Academy smashed together. Should definitely score a movie. Susan_creamcheese Banging, explosive, playful sequencer experiments and noisy beats. Their first release, ‘Bamboozle Gobbledygook’, features collabs with a bunch of Post-dreifing mates. Tucker Carlson’s Jonestown Massacre A prolific but reclusive artist releasing a steady stream of interesting and diverse new music, including a 15-track album in 2018, and a 14-track follow-up, ‘1989,’ earlier this year.
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also put Icelandic metal on the international circuit. The festival, the first dedicated metal event in the country, is single-handedly responsible for bringing foreign metal journalists to Iceland and pointing them to up-and-coming acts. Many bands got their start there at the raucous party. This year, though, it’s quieting down. “We’re going back to basics,” Magný explains. “We’re going back to Egilsbúð for a small and sweaty Eistnaflug.” While it was fun to have huge crowds and big bands, Magný emphasises, this iteration will be more personal. “Now nobody can hide away somewhere; you’ll be able to sit in the grass outside the venue and speak to everyone.”
CULTURE NEWS
Stay Weird, Seyðisfjörður LungA 2019 July 14th-21st - Seyðisfjörður 8,900-13,900 ISK
Festival Eistnaflug runs from July 10th to July 14th in Neskaupstaður. Tickets are 18,900 ISK
Ah, LungA. A week of workshops, a weekend of concerts, and people having a lovely time talking about how artists will inherit the earth and capitalism will die. We’re so here for it. With a vibrant and interesting programme, there’s something for everyone—from songwriting classes and workshops on improv to things we sure as hell can’t describe in under 70 words in a box in a magazine. JG
Black metal, viking metal
Strike a pose
Lucky 15
Eistnaflug 2019 goes back to basics Words: Hannah Jane Cohen
You Couldn’t Make This Up Improv Iceland
Photo: Johanna Persson
July 10th, 17th & 24th - 20:00 Tjarnarbíó - 2,500 ISK For many people, enjoyment of improv springs from a place of schadenfreude, so idk, maybe start saving to see a therapist? Alternatively, you could take yourself along to Tjarnarbíó on Wednesday evenings in July to see Improv Iceland, laugh a lot and bury your personal problems forever! Provided by a word from the audience to inspire their routine, the group perform a completely different show every night, so you’ll never see the same thing twice. JG
Over the past 15 years, Eistnaflug has grown from a tiny one-room DIY shindig to one of the biggest festivals in Iceland. This year, though, in honour of its 15th anniversary, the Neskaupstaður metal festival is going back to its roots. It’s scaling down, returning to its original venue (the smaller Egilsbúð community centre), and focusing whole-heartedly on showcasing a mix of large international headliners and newer Icelandic acts. While smaller, the horizon for the festival is—in contrast to its music—bright as all hell.
Small & sweaty “It’s been fun watching it change,” General Manager Magný Rós Sigurðardóttir says, sitting back in a conference room in the National Library—perhaps an uncharacteristic locale for a metalhead. “When I started going, it was a small festival of Icelandic bands, and having that morph into bands like Behemoth or Meshuggah playing in Neskaupstaður, it’s surreal.” Eistnaflug, it must be said, not only put Neskaupstaður on the map, but it
ELECTRIC DREAMS
Music
Internal Organs Hallgrímskirkja International Organ Summer
Follow Jónbjörn’s music at soundcloud. com/jonbjorn. Buy his new eclectic record of pop music edits out on Pompon Records last month
June 22nd to Aug 28th Hallgrímskirkja - 2,500-3,000 ISK The Klais Concert Organ at Hallgrímskirkja has 5,275 pipes and weighs around 25 tonnes, and this summer you can hear it in all its glory as a range of Icelandic and international organists play everything from thundering Bach toccatas to melodious strains of Vierne and Debussy in 29 concerts. The award-winning Schola Cantorum choir will also perform— perfect for the stunning acoustics of Iceland’s largest church. FR
In The Middle Of Music & Design
Jónbjörn on making a living and the future Reykjavík's dance music scene Words: Alexander Le Sage de Fontenay Photo: Elina Shorokhova
The audible and visual subsistence of music is undeniable. Jónbjörn Finnbogason—also known as JB and one-half of house music label Lagaffe Tales— is a creative who works within both worlds as a music producer, DJ, labelmanager, promoter and designer. He currently works at digital agency Dark Arts of Digital in Berlin, specializing in social media and
digital marketing for record labels and musicians. “In my spare time, I do the design, A&R and label management for Lagaffe Tales, which I started back in 2012 with my good friend Viktor Birgiss,” Jónbjörn explains. “I also started working on my solo project again after a three year hiatus around the time I moved to Berlin.”
Magný is particularly excited by the newer Icelandic bands on the roster. She names doom metal mavericks Morpholith—who recently won Iceland’s Wacken Metal Battle 2019—as a particular favourite. Another standout are the power metal breakout stars of Paladin. “That’s a new band, but looking at the crowd during the first ever Paladin concert, they were having so much fun,” Magný reminisces. “You had all kinds of metalheads singing along with their fists in the air—black metal, viking metal, death metal people—I’m looking forward to that.” For more established acts, Magný recommends catching Auðn, Une Misère, Sólstafir, and Dimma. Though it’s first and foremost a metal festival, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some good ole’ fashion partying. This year, a glitter-festooned diversion will be championed by none other than the King of Icelandic pop, Páll Óskar. “He’s playing on Saturday night,” Magný exclaims. “Then everyone will be dancing.” She grins. “At least, I will be!”
Jónbjörn feels his inspiration comes from all over, and he likes having personal side-projects to keep him inspired. “Sometimes a visit to my hometown [Hnífsdalur in the Westfjords] or travelling around Iceland really does it for me. Other times it’s my experiences from different clubs in Berlin,” he explains. “Speaking to like-minded people about music and their work also makes me excited about making something interesting myself.” Having been away from Reykjavík for a few years, Jónbjörn can see clearer how it differs from larger cities like Berlin. “The main difference is that most venues [in Iceland] have a broad audience, so there is no place for dance music only,” he says. “Shout-out to Kaffibarinn and Sónar festival, but I think what Reykjavík needs now is a small, raw and versatile club for all kinds of dance music.” This year, Jónbjörn has performed in Helsinki, Vienna and Tbilisi. He recently started making danceedits of pop songs—like Páll Óskar’s 1996 euro dance hit ‘Ég Er Bundinn Fastur Við Þig’—available as a free download on Bandcamp. “I’m working on loads of original music and I’ll be releasing something very soon,” he says. “Then I’ll play at my favourite club in Berlin, Zur Wilden Renate, on August 2nd before moving back to Reykjavík later that month!”
Culture
The Reykjavík Grapevine 24 Issue 11— 2019
Exhibition Nr. 3 Umhverfing will be open until the end of the summer, though the exact end date is TBA. It is located at 17 centres around Snæfellsnes with the first opening location being the Breiðablik Community Centre.
Co-curator Ragnhildur Stefánsdóttir, pictured in front of her own work
A Flood Of Feeling
‘Nr. 3 Umhverfing’ fills the Snæfellsnes countryside with art Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photos: Art Bicnick
“Guð er tíl?” Translated, the question becomes, “Does God exist?” It’s a thought many face at one point or another, but not one you’d expect to find hanging on the walls of a church. But stop by Hellnakirkja church in the tiny Snæfellsnes hamlet of Hellnar, and you’ll find that sentence carved in silver on a circular emblem presented starkly on the southern wall of the church. Created by Ragnar Kjartansson—arguably Iceland’s most famous visual artist, who is currently on exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York City—the provocative work is one of the hundreds of piece you’ll find scattered around the Snæfellsnes peninsula this summer as part of the ‘Nr. 3 Umhverfing’ exhibition.
Starting small, ending big “We started with a small exhibition in 2017,” co-curator Ragnhildur Stefánsdóttir explains, sitting back in the Breiðablik Community Centre, which is more or less the beginning of the ‘Nr. 3 Umhverfing’ exhibition trail. The Centre is filled with posters—71 in all— representing each of the artists involved. “See, we thought we’d travel around Iceland with small exhibitions, one every year, and make a small book about it. Everything was small,” she continues, smiling. “We had 14 artists the first year, then we moved to Egilsstaðir the second year and had 37 artists.” They’ve almost doubled that number this year, and transformed what was a small exhibition into a road trip that
“Some [of the artists] are completely unknown, and then you have Ragnar Kjartansson, who is showing at the MET.”
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spans an entire peninsula. Almost every area of Snæfellsnes—from barns to restaurants to swimming pools—contains an exhibition. There are 17 technical centres, usually towns, but each centre contains up to seven individual locations—many of them alternative spaces—for exhibitions that contain more than one artists’ work. It’s a doozy of an undertaking.
Connecting the countryside Along with presenting a wide range of works in unusual spaces, ‘Nr. 3 Umhverfing’ seeks wholeheartedly to feature artists that have a connection to the area. Currently, every artist featured in this series of exhibitions is tied to Snæfellsnes in some way, whether it’s through residence, ancestry, or even just past work. “They have roots here,” Ragnhildur explains. “They have been raised here or maybe their ancestors were. In fact,
two of the artists’ fathers were priests in Snæfellsnes.” The only artists featured that are not directly tied to the region are the curators themselves: Ragnhildur, Anna Eyjólfsdóttir, and Þórdís Alda Sigurðardóttir. “But, you know,” she jokes. “I am from the Westfjords, so maybe some of my ancestors are from here.”
All forms present Another tenet of ‘Nr. 3 Umhverfing’ is variety. “We have people from very different backgrounds, some are unknown and some are world famous,” she says. “And Umhverfing spans all the art forms: paintings, drawings, sculptures, videos, and even sound.” By sound, she’s referring to Megas’ contribution to the series, which involves radio station FM 105.1 perpetually broadcasting a sound mixture combined with spoken word. “What is so important here is that Megas has his piece in the air,” Ragnhildur enthuses.
The Reykjavík Grapevine 25 Issue 11— 2019 lation created by Jón Sigurpálsson, the drawings by his son, Gunnar Jónsson, and a video installation by his daughter, Rannveig Jónsdóttir. The piano is actually played by his wife too, though she’s uncredited in the exhibition.
wrenching as the Staðarstaður pieces and one could easily spend a weekend driving around to see them all. “Everybody is very positive to have this big exhibition here,” Raghhildur concludes with
a smile, getting back into the car to hurry along to the next centre. “Snæfellsnes is very happy right now.”
Vestiges of prayer
Who said a barn can't be a venue?
“You can listen to it, and you are always experiencing art. The exhibition is in the air. It’s everywhere.”
A barn of wonder Staðarstaður, a tiny village in the south of Snæfellsnes, is one of the closest centres of ‘Nr. 3 Umhverfing’ to Breiðablik. Turning onto a small dirt road, the unassuming town is but a few buildings and a cemetery. In front of the largest structure, a paper sign reads, “Art exhibition.” Inside, a dilapidated barn, complete with a smattering of chickens bumbling away in the corner greets you, but once you climb into a side room, the exhibition ‘Slitvindar’ hits you in full force.
Soundtracked by the delicate notes of a piano, ‘Slitvindar’ is composed of one installation—a glittering shower of white feather-like beings suspended from the ceiling—as well as a series of drawings delicately adorning the battered walls. One displays a red chair, while a work next to it reads, “Þessi stól l v a r víst blár,” meaning, “This chair was once blue.” The overall effect is heart-stopping. Who could have known that inside this crumbling edifice lies worldclass art? The room, Ragnhildur explains, is a family effort, with the instal-
Outside, the Staðarstaður cemetery holds the next piece of ‘Nr. 3 Umhverfing.’ Blink and you could miss it, but a short ways into the grassy bumps lies a sculpture only a few centimetres above the ground. It vaguely resembles a sigil or rune, at first view, but it’s actually a combination of Icelandic letters created by priest of Staðarstaður, Arnaldur Máni. “Arnaldur puts this sculpture in places where churches, prayer houses, or just places where people used to meet to pray used to be,” Ragnhildur says, motioning to the surrounding cemetery. “Now, maybe nothing is there anymore, but he’s researched and even sometimes knows where the altar was.” Arnaldur’s sculptures now dot the Snæfellsnes peninsula, marking the vestiges of Iceland’s once widespread religion. The pieces manage at once to be both chilling and heartwarming. In some locations, only grass remains of what was once the most important centres of society But Staðarstaður is but one centre out of 13, and these artists just a few out of 71. Each is as complicated, intriguing, and
A rustic installation
Beach art: It's a thing
“The exhibition is in the air. It’s everywhere.”
Warning, art exhibit approaching
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Best of Reykjavík
The Reykjavík Grapevine 26 Issue 11— 2019
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
Best Soup Winner: Ramen Momo Tryggvagata 16
Likely the Northernmost ramen joint, this family-run business is small in size, but delivers big flavour. Reykjavík’s first ramen bar has springy house-made organic noodles, and they’ve recently levelled up the broth. We’re suckers for their creamy Tantanmen—a deeply flavoured soup with Tonkotsu adding heft to the mellow sesame paste and hoisin-cooked pork. Add a drizzle of spicy chilli oil and you’ve got yourself the best bowl in town. There are six soups on the menu, including vegan options, and don’t miss out on their zingy dumplings or ‘Korean’ housemade tea with fermented lemons and ginger.
Make my day, taco boys
Flavour Of The Month The freshest arrivals in 101
Words: The Grapevine New Stuff Dpt. Photos: Art Bicnick & John Rogers Reykjavík changes as rapidly as the weather, with fresh things popping up at all times. This summer has been no exception, with new bars, stores, restaurants and galleries shaking up the capital’s landscape with young blood and refreshing ideas. To keep you in-the-know, here are the newest spots you shouldn’t miss.
Myrkraverk Gallery Skólavörðustígur 3
Stocking everything from paintings to prints to recycled jewelry, Myrkraverk Gallery is a true hole-in-the-wall treasure for those looking to stock up on the edgier artists of Reykajvík. Currently showing YYNGRII, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Hjálmar Vestergaard, Sunna Shabnam Halldórudóttir, and Sif Stefánsdóttir, the gallery/ store is a jumbled feast for the eyes with artwork covering nearly every available piece of wall. You can also get a photo amidst neon green lamps downstairs in the Northern Lights Studio. HJC
SVART by Svart Týsgata 1
Tacoson Mæðragarðurinn
Tacos—and street food generally—are the flavour of the month in Reykjavík, and the spanking new Tacoson food truck combines the two. Started as a new business venture by three taco-obsessed friends, Tacoson is most often stationed at Mæðragarðurinn near Tjörnin. They serve four types of filling—chicken, chilli con carne, pork and vegetarian—in homemade corn and coriander shells. It’s good, hearty stuff that won’t break the bank. JR
After a long period of development, Marko Svart’s first Icelandic store finally opened in May. In addition to the jewellery pieces previously sold from a stall in Kolaportið, SVART by Svart also features a full S/S clothing range. The clothes are handmade in store from natural, eco-friendly fabrics. Inspired by his love of the ocean and concerns regarding plastic fashion, the collection symbolises a clear turning point in SVART’s ethos. The store has something for everyone, from high-end fashion to unique hand-drawn postcards. JG
Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar Laugavegur 27
Aiming to fill the market for wine bars in Reykjavík, Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar features natural wines from small producers at affordable prices. While “Vínstúkan” is an old Icelandic term for wine bar, “Tíu Sopar” is a play-on-words for ten sips, riffing on the bar’s location in the spot that was once the Tíu Dropar café. The bar’s trio of owners jumped “like tigers” at the chance to take up residency in this charming basement haunt, and have refurbished it with green walls, vintage lamps, and crafted-for-them chairs, tables and bars from Skata Design. AR
Runners Up:
Kasbah Geirsgata 7b
With an I-want-to-live-herevibe, Kasbah is a chic little Moroccan cafe-restaurant where the old Café Haiti used to be. A family-run business, their intention to deliver authentic Moroccan food is clearly defined on their small menu. It’s still early days, but their house-made warka pastry briouate, the hearty harira and assorted accompaniments are fast gaining patrons. Delicately spiced, aromatic and edging on the sweet and savoury, Kasbah’s menu has something for vegans, meat eaters, wine lovers and everyone in between. SB
Newcomer: Hi Noodle Frakkastígur 9
Reykjavík’s newest ramen bar became an instant favourite for many. With a slow-cooked, temperature controlled broth, the chef—Chen—is aiming to consistently deliver his carefully designed recipes. The portions are a little modest: best order some dumplings on the side of your Dan Dan if you have a big appetite. Vegan option available.
Djúpið Hafnarstræti 15
Grapevine favourite Hornið recently reopened their basement bar space, named Djúpið. Only a few weeks old, this new addition has already pulled together a diverse live music programme, including hosting the regular Reykjavík Trad Sessions on Wednesday evenings from 8pm. The cosy candle-lit space is perfect for catching up with a friend or checking out a new musical act in an intimate setting. Djúpið is open daily from 4pm. JG
Noodle Station Laugavegur 103
Before Reykjavík’s ramen revolution, there was Noodle Station, serving vegetable, beef and chicken noodle soups with a pungent chilli-garlic aroma that floods the street outside. It’s a thoroughly Western take on noodle soup… but damn, it’s satisfying on a cold day, especially if you have a cold.
July 5th—July 18th
In Your
Pocket Reykjavík Map
Places We Like
Best Of Reykjavík
Bar & Restaurant Hverfisgata 26 Bar & Restaurant
Hverfisgata 26
Perfect Day A face of the downtown scene tells us how to spend a perfect day in Reykjavík
THE ICELANDIC
PENIS MUSEUM It´s all about Dicks
Words: Daði Freyr Ragnarsson Photos: Xdeathrow
Dadykewl The perfect day in Reykjavík almost doesn’t exist. Why I say “almost” is because the weather changes every five minutes, summer comes only two weeks a year, and the general vibe of Icelandic people is obnoxious and stressful. That being said, I’m going to tell you about the one perfect day I had in Reykjavík, which happened on July 21st, 2018. Morning On the morning of that specific day, the planets were aligned. It was sunny and I had fresh milk in the fridge, which gave me a reason to be happy, for once. Happiness is a rarity in Iceland, just ask around. It was time to go nuts. Mid-morning I live in Mosfellsbær, a town with green grass, white fences, Range Rovers and fragile marriages. But it’s
also a town with a hidden culture bomb—the beautiful waterfall Álafoss. A factory next to a fucking waterfall? These are aesthetics you can’t buy, and I went there to hang out for a bit, just to get another reason to live. Lunch For lunch, I left the oasis of Mosfellsbær and headed downtown to Núðluskálin. They have super spicy noodles that make my anus bleed. Spicy food, and particularly Núðluskálin, has no mercy. Mid-afternoon After noodles, I met up with a friend of mine at Skúli Craft Bar and sat in the square drinking crazy expensive beer in the sun. I don’t do a lot of day drinking, but a lot of my friends joined up, and to my surprise, they seemed to have no problem doing it, which comforted me. Sitting in the sun, a friend of a friend offered
Vital Info
me a Gucci belt and Xanax for being a “fucking legend,” so the day had a chill vibe to it. For the record, I refused. Evening When we had enough of this obscurity, we headed to Prikið. The smoking area at Prikið is the perfect place to get cancer and mingle with the locals. We went there, partied our asses off, and heard life-changing advice from people with loose ties, puke on their shirts, and beers with cigarette butts in them. I don’t remember names but they will never be forgotten, mainly for falling down the stairs of our beloved Prikið. Not that I’ve ever done that. In the heat of the night But what made that day utterly perfect, the cherry on top, is that I got a free ride home to Mosfellsbær instead of selling my liver to a grumpy taxi driver.
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Useful Numbers
Opening Hours - Bars & Clubs
Public Toilets
Emergency: 112 On-call doctors: 1770 Dental emergency: 575 0505 Taxi: Hreyfill: 588 5522 - BSR: 561 0000
Bars can stay open until 01:00 on weekdays and 04:30 on weekends.
Public toilets in the centre can be found inside the green-poster covered towers located at Hlemmur, Ingólfstorg, by Hallgrímskirkja, by Reykjavík Art Museum, Lækjargata and by Eymundsson on Skólavörðustígur. Toilets can also be found inside the Reykjavík City Hall and the Reykjavík Library.
Post Office The downtown post office has moved to Hagatorgi 1, open Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00.
Pharmacies Lyf og heilsa, Egilsgata 3, tel: 563 1020 Lyfja, Laugavegur 16, tel: 552 4045 and Lágmúli 5, tel: 533 2300
Opening Hours - Shops & Banks Most shops: Mon–Fri 10–18, Sat 10–16, Sun closed. Banks: Mon-Fri 09-16
Swimming Pools Sundhöllin, the downtown pool at Barónsstígur, is an indoor swimming pool with hot tubs and a diving board. More pools: gpv.is/swim Open: Mon-Thu from 06:30–22. Fri from 06:30–20. Sat from 08–16. Sun from 10–18.
Public Transport Most buses run every 20–30 minutes Fare: 460 ISK adults, 220 ISK children. Buses run from 07–24:00, and 10–04:30 on weekends. More info: www.bus.is.
it Laugavegur 116 • 105 Reykjavík • Tel.: +354-561-6663 phallus@phallus.is • www.phallus.is Open: 10-18 • Next to Hlemmur bus station No pornography or offensive material in the museum.
Venue Finder Venues
Museums & Galleries
The numbers on the right (i.e. E4) tell you position on the map on the next page
ART67 Laugavegur 67 Open daily 9-21
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The Penis Museum Laugavegur 116 F8 Open daily 10-18
Ásmundarsafn Sigtún Open daily 10-17
Austur Austurstræti 7
ASÍ Art Gallery Freyjugata 41 G6 Open Tue-Sun 13-17
Kirsuberjatréð Vesturgata 4 D3 M-F 10-18, Sat-Sun 10-17
Reykjavík City Library Tryggvagata 15 D3 Mon-Thu 10-19, Fri 11-18, Sat-Sun 13-17
Kling & Bang Grandagarður 20 A4 W-Sun 14-18, Th 12-21
Árbæjarsafn Kistuhylur 4 Open daily 13-17
Listastofan Hringbraut 119 Open Wed-Sat 13-17
The Settlement Exhibition Aðalstræti 16 Open daily 9-18
American Bar Austurstræti 8
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Iðnó Vonarstræti 3
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Kex Hostel Skúlagata 28
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Andrými Bergþórugata 20 G6
Kaffibarinn Bergstaðastræti 1 E4
B5 Bankastræti 5
Kaffi Vínyl Hverfisgatur 76
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Bar Ananas Klapparstígur 28 E5
Kiki Queer Bar Laugavegur 22
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Bíó Paradís Hverfisgata 54
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Aurora Reykjavík Grandagarður 2 B1 Open 09-21 Ásgrimur Jónsson Museum Bergstaðastr. 74 G4 July 8-Sep 1, Mon-Fri Berg Contemporary Klapparstígur 16 E5 Tu-F 11-17, Sat 13-17
Living Art Museum Granadarður 20 A4 T-Sun 12-18, Th 12-21
The Culture House Hverfisgata 15 E5 Open daily 10–17
Mokka Kaffi Skólavörðustíg. 3A E 5 Open daily 9-18:30
The Einar Jónsson Museum Eiriksgata G5 Open Tue–Sun 10–17
Museum of Design and Applied Art Garðatorg 1 Open Tu-Sun 12-17
Ekkisens Bergstaðast. 25b F4
The National Gallery of Iceland Fríkirkjuvegur 7 F3 Open daily 10–17
Loft Bankastræti 7
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Bjarni Fel Austurstræti 20 E4
Mengi Óðinsgata 2
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Bravó Laugavegur 22
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Nordic House Sturlagata 5
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Boston Laugavegur 28b
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Paloma Naustin
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Dillon Laugavegur 30
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Prikið Bankastræti 12
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Dubliner Naustin 1-3
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R6013 Ingólfsstræti 20 E4
Gallerí List Skipholt 50A H10 M-F 11-18, Sat 11-16
English Pub Austurstræti 12 D3
Reykjavík Roasters Kárastígur 1 F5
Gaukurinn Tryggvagata 22
Hafnarborg Strandgata 34, 220 Open Wed-Mon 12-17
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Stofan Café Vesturgata 3
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Ölsmiðjan Lækjargata 10
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Hressó Austurstræti 20 D3
Tivoli bar Hafnarstræti 4
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Húrra Naustin
Tjarnarbíó Tjarnargata 12
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Hard Rock Café Lækjargata 2a
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Hitt Húsið Pósthússtræti 3-5 D 4 Hverfisgallerí Hverfisgata 4 D4 Tu-Fri 13-17, Sat 14-17 i8 Gallery Tryggvagata 16 D3 Tu-Fri 11-18, Sat 13-17
The National Museum Suðurgata 41 G2 Open daily 10–17 The Nordic House Sturlugata 5 H2 Thu-Tu 11-17, W 11-20 Hafnarhús Tryggvagata 17 D3 Open 10-17, Thu 10-22 Kjarvalsstaðir Flókagata 24 H8 Open daily 10-17
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Reykjavík Museum of Photography Tryggvagata 15 D3 Mon-Thu 10-18, Fri 11-18, Sat-Sun 13-18 Saga Museum Grandagarður 2 B2 Open daily 10-18 Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum Laugarnestangi 70 Open Tu-Sun 14-17 SÍM Hafnarstræti 16 D3 Open Mon-Fri 10-16 Tveir Hrafnar Baldursgata 12 G4 Open Fri-Sat 13-16 Wind & Weather Window Gallery Hverfisgata 37
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16. Session Bar
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Kaldi is one of the champion craft beer brands of Iceland. Their bar in Reykjavík is a cosy hole-in-the-wall, with a literal hole in the wall—a former alleyway is now an additional seating area. Patrons can get a satisfyingly chunky pint of their unfiltered lager, dark ale, or whatever seasonal brew is currently on the taps.
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Football fans will rejoice in seeing the row of screens perennially tuned on sports channel above the bar, while troubadours aficionados will find in American Bar a great spot to listen to classic country music. Grab a rib from the adjacent Dirty Burgers & Ribs and be happy.
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Reykjavík Domestic This minimalistic, Bauhaus-esque Airport Terminal spot took the Icelandic fashion
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Party Every Night. Cocktails! Live Music. Live Sports Coverage 50 different kinds of beer. Kitchen open from 11.00. Ribs - Burgers. Chicken Wings!
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A spin-off from the late, lamented, recently-resurrected and currently-undead Sirkus, Boston is a Laugavegur drinking hole with a dark drinking room, and a huge balcony terrace out back with heaters, sofas and blankets. So if you’re done listening to DJ, you can smoke your face off in comfort.
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If you prefer your music grungy, raw and weird, then Gaukurinn is your place. With dim lights, leather sofas and a gender neutral bathroom, it’s become the perfectHAhangout for GI N FO R the unorthodox Reykjavíkingar, so if you’re looking for like-minded peeps to drink with, here you go.
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One of the many post-jam options in town for those looking to put a tasty end to a fun night out, the Hot Dog House is a solid place for a quick snack. If you feel too inebriated by life to experiment, a classic one “with everything” will do the trick.
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9. Sea Baron
Some say the langoustine soup recipe has changed a little since the eponymous “Sea Baron” himself passed away, but this harbourside diner is as popular as ever anyway. Get a warming cup of soup, and a melt-in-the-mouth fresh fish kebab, still smoky from the coals.
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Iceland’s first Ramen bar has upped their broth game with a silky slick Tonkotsu. They have a choice of
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Jómfrúin may be of Danish import, but it’s 100% an Icelandic institution. With its typically open sandwiches, smørrebrød, and the slightly retro décor, this is the place for a casual, playful lunch. Don’t miss out on the marinated herring and hand-peeled shrimps, and pair it all with some of the house zingy snaps.
With a saloon-like atmosphere in the daytime, when dogs and kids run around amongst the Adiehard TA VesturAG local crowd and groupsAof LL confused bæjarlaug V Swimming FS tourists, Kaffibarinn Oturns into an all- F H Pool out party during the small hours of the weekend. Whether you’re holiday R LU day-drinking or getting messy, it IME P ES never fails to amuse.
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Barring kleina and the odd US chain, we’ve been a doughnut-starved nation. But thanks to Deig, fresh fried doughnuts are a reality. Should we gush about the custard filled creme brulée doughnut or cry for the now discontinued surmjölk and Cheerios doughnut? (Bring it back!) They make pretty good bagels too. Psst... they open at 7am.
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Regulars swear by Brauð & Co.'s “snuður”—cinnamon bread rolls smothered with a sugary glaze. They take it a step further and stuff the classics with blueberries and whatnot, eliciting inappropriate satisfied moans. Get there early to snatch a warm one.
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Needless to say, we love Reykjavík’s only fully South American restaurant! With a vegan tasting menu and a smattering of chevices (and a tongue-in-cheek bar serving tropical delights upstairs in the form of Pablo Discobar), Burro is a not-to-miss locale.
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W hat happens when Icelandic ingredients are tended to with Japanese flair ? Public House Gastropub only gives out-of-theordinary, satisfying answers. The duck thigh in a pancake served with ginger sauce and the crispy shrimp dumplings with sriracha mayo are to die for. Come early and enjoy happy hour while you can: you’ll never want to leave.
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Block Burger is an office favourite. You can see their white paper togo bags stacked on writers’ desks. Modelled heavily on the American chain Shake Shack in presentation, Block is reasonably priced (for Reykjavík) and has quick service. It’s a lunchtime spot worth checking out.
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Sometimes you just want fresh fish deep-fried. Icelandic Fish & Chips does this well. The fish is fresh and the batter is light and crispy, with Skyronnes, a skyr-based dipping sauce that comes in nine different variations including tartar sauce. Try the steinbítur, Atlantic wolffish. It’s as ugly in life as it is delicious in death.
7. Public House Gastropub
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noodles and broths catering to food intolerances and fads, and a popular ‘Ramen of the Month’. We suggest getting the Ramen Tonkotsu with their perfectly cooked soy cured eggs.
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B esides the classic beers and wines, Veður’s specialty is their meticulously crafted twelve-cocktail menu, including a Brennivin-based Moscow Mule and a Kamikaze taken like a shot. Admire the craftsmanship behind the wooden floors and take your pick out of the glimmering row of multi-coloured homemade bitters and syrups.
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Get the bigger, more detailed version of The Reykjavík Grapevine City Map at your nearest hotel or guesthouse, with selections from our Best-Of awards, vital info, downtown bus stops and a wider view of the city. ELEGANT PREMISES IN THE HEART OF R E Y K J AV I K
Downtown & Harbour District
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Hólmaslóð 2 & Laugavegur 37
Garðastræti 6
If you want to pick up an Icelandic
A true-blue second-hand shop, you
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26. Rauðhetta & Úlfurinn
This sleek and minimal streetwear boutique occupies an enviable spot on the main Laugavegur strip. An acronym for “contemporary,” the shop’s name describes its concept— the store will sell limited garments by streetwear brands.
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Lucky Records is probably the biggest record shop in Iceland, with shelves upon shelves of new and used vinyl and CDs on offer. They have a small stage where local and visiting bands sometimes perform. ÐU
More art installation than regular store, the "Sigur Rós shop" is an a esthetic environm ent with a soothing soundtrack, sweet scents floating in the air, and a natural, earthy colour palette. They sell a range of amazing things, from handpicked tea, to artworks and records.
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Named after the female personification of Iceland (yep, that’s a thing), Fjallkonan is located smack-bang in the middle of downtown, and caters to locals and tourists alike. For the Icelandic-cuisine-curious, there is a platter of whale, lamb and puffin, all presented beautifully. For those who are just looking for a H FELL S Mgreat selectionÁTEof I G Sfresh meat, ÚLI V EG UR Fjallfish and vegetarian options, konan does these to perfection as well. The veggie burger and Ó K A highly double-cooked friesFLcome G AT recommended. JG 8 9 A UM
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Make the most of your last hours in Iceland. We are your one stop shop for Icelandic design, souvenirs and traditional food. Browse wheninkef.com to see our selection and offers. All shops and restaurants are tax- and duty free.
Music
The Reykjavík Grapevine 31 Issue 11— 2019
“At least three of us lost their jobs and everybody lost their minds.”
TRACK BY TRACK
Andavald ‘Undir Skyggðarhaldi’ Journey into a hellish dimension and pray you get back Words: Andavald & Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Berglind Petra Garðarsdóttir
Marshall House FI S
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This is an outro that Dulvitund DI made. He just sent a fileAGRwith, AN ÁL “Here’s something you can probably kill yourself to.” The conclusion was ‘Eftirspil.’ It’s a dreary IR ELL AV epilogue to future journeys. MEISTAR
gpv.is/music ASKJÓLSVEG PL KA Share this + Archives
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AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 2019
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‘Forspil’ technically means an intro to a song, not an intro to an album. This song was actually not supposed to be on ‘Undir skyggðarhaldi.’ It was just an intro we made quickly for a concert. The piano part was recorded onto a cell phone on an old dilapidated piano in our rehearsal space. Þórir Óskar Björnsson from Dulvitund then worked some magic around it and it came out great. We put it on the album because it provided a framework for it.
The second leg of the journey, ‘Hugklofnun,’ is about being torn apart mentally and physical, losing touch with reality, losing your sanity, and surrendering yourself to a higher power. The title refers to being cleaved in two, but it’s really a word play about split personalities. The vocals on this song are very intense. Axel, our lead singer, took it all the way with his insane, manic laughter, and there’s nothing fake about it. He actually ended up in the hospital after recording it. See, there were many obstacles when recording this album. Making it was a torturous threeyear process and in it, we opened up a gate to something that we don’t understand. At least three of us lost our jobs and everybody lost their minds. We suffered
The final leg is about being chained up in a nightmarish realm, yearning for salvation but finding no way out. That’s the essence of the whole album. ‘Undir skyggðarhaldi’ means being under a spell of darkness, being the captive of a shadowy presence. There is an outro on the album, but this is really the last song and it’s not the end. The album doesn’t have an end. It’s a journey, and you come to this song and you are under the spell but you don’t escape it. Hopefully, the next album will snap you out of it.
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I. Forspil
III. Hugklofnun
IV. Undir skyggðarhaldi HÓ LMA SLÓ Ð
Black metal supergroup Andavald dropped their debut, ‘Undir skyggðarhaldi,’ earlier this month, capping three years of work. It’s an imposing monolith of a black metal album—one designed to beat you down with no hope of help or return. To learn more, we sat down with Magnús Schram, main composer of the group, and his brothers in arms to go through the release track by track.
financially, socially and mentally. Mostly mentally. Andavald is not an easy-listening experience. It’s definitely not for everyone. For us to surround ourselves with it for long periods of time took its toll.
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Download the album at andavald.bandcamp.com
It’s hard to put abstract thoughts into words, especially into English, but this album is like a journey, so each song is like a leg or a landmark. The first leg, ‘Afvegaleiðsla,’ is about being led astray, moving off the beaten track and into unchartered, hellish dimensions. The title is a play on words. It means being led astray, but could also mean trance.
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Music These people aren't indoors, wtf
bar
MUSIC The initial lineup for this NEWS year’s Innipúkinn festival—
the only place in Iceland where you can pound Breezers on a carpet of fake grass—has been announced. Performers this year include Hildur, Between Mountains, Vök, dj. flugvél og geimskip, Friðrik Dór, Joey Christ, Moses Hightower, Kælan Mikla, Jónas Sig, and more. This year’s iteration will also see the festival move to Grandi, where it will now be hosted by Bryggjan Brugghús and Messinn. Tickets are on sale now, priced at 6,990 ISK for the weekend, or 3,990 ISK for a day.
& events venue Tryggvagata 22, 101 Reykjavík
EVERY MONDAY
STANDUP COMEDY IN ENGLISH / 21.00 / FREE ENTRY
EVERY TUESDAY
KARAOKE PARTY 21.00 / FREE ENTRY
Watch out, he's a flight risk
All Day, Everyday
5/7 DRAG-SÚGUR QUEER VARIETY SHOW A MONTLY DRAG EXTRAVAGANZA!
6/7 NARTHRAAL, DEVINE DEFILEMENT, DYNFARI
Rapper 24/7 is here to stay
7/7 HANS.MOV [NIGHT] - SCREENING & LIVE
Words & Photo: Sigurður Ragnarsson
“Seplar ljúka,” “Hvað er planið,” and “Tvöfalt glas.” Three songs. All hits. Together racking up over 700,000 plays. The common denominator? A feature by rapper 24/7. 24/7 (real name Hafþór Sindri) is, arguably, one of the biggest stars of the Reykjavík underground, gaining notoriety over the past year for his smooth, catchy hooks and lyrical wordplay. Mainly working in the trap genre, he’s recently transitioned from auto-tune to a more clean and catchy boom bap influenced trap. A champion of the new Icelandic hip hop scene, he initially burst onto the scene with popular collaborations with rappers like Birgir Hákon and Yung Nigo Drippin’.
Double glasses
BY GOLDENGANG COMEDY
10/7 VELVET VILLAIN, KISIMJA, PARASOL 11/7 HANK & TANK 12/7 HELIUM KARAOKE PARTY 15/7 “SOULFLOW COMEDY” - INTRO DEBUT! WOMEN & QUEER OPEN MIC STAND UP
17/7 DRAG PUB QUIZ: QUEER FILM & TV WITH CHARDONNAY BUBLÉE & MILO DE MIX
18/7 IN SIREN, CAPTAIN SYRUP, PROGESTERON
Romantic soul-pop duo Une Misère
Local hardcore boys Une Misère brought the misery with the release of their ‘Summer of Misery’ tour schedule, which will see the band opening for legendary death metal act Arch Enemy in Belarus and Russia, and touring Europe with acts like Decaptiated, Aborted, Jungle Rob, Thou, and Ingested. They will also make an appearance at the Brutal Assault, MetalDays, Traffic Jam Open Air, and Summer Breeze festivals. Fresh off opening for Lamb of God in early June, Une Misère is expected to drop a new music video any day now. HJC
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The person he is today, Hafþór finds difficult to define. “I'm not really a fan of putting labels on myself. I've been called a gangster rapper before, which couldn't be further from the truth,” he laughs. “I'm just myself, 24/7,” he states simply. The artist has been working day and night on his upcoming debut album, ‘FM 24/7’ along with producers BNGRBOY, Ízleifur and Hlandri. The album is set to come out later this year. But while he enjoys what he’s doing right now, 24/7 does not plan on staying in the game indefinitely. ''I'm not counting on being a 30-year-old rapper, personally, though I find the thought a bit amusing,” he says. “I plan on educating myself more in the f ut ure. I want to st udy music management so that I can still be working around music when I'm older.” But whatever the future holds, Hafþór is currently pursuing rap full-time. ''Whatever you do, just follow your dreams,” he says, smiling. “You have to do what makes you happy.'' And for Hafþór, that means 24/7.
8/7 “COME TALK FUNNY” - LAST SHOW!
LI
Hafþór got his start releasing his music on SoundCloud in 2015, only to later delete it all from the site. “I just kind of stopped making music until Yung Nigo Drippin’ got me back into it,” Hafþór explains, sitting back in the CNTMP studio. “Nigo featured me on his record ‘Plús Hús,’ which blew up. It really motivated me to pursue making music again.” And once he did start making music again, it was all over. One of his first songs, and undoubtedly the one that landed him on the map, was “Tvöfalt Glas” (“Double Glass”) with Yung Nigo Drippin’. A slimy sounding, hazy lo-fi trap banger tribute to the lifestyle which many hip hop artists live, or rather, have lived, “Tvöfalt Glas” was born out of the very first session between Hafþór and producers Hlandri and Ízleifur.
Undefinable
Finnish conductor Eva Ollikainen has been announced as the new Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for the 2020/21 season. Eva will make her debut with the orchestra at the symphony’s 70th anniversary concert in March 2020, with a programme that will feature works by Mahler and—fittingly for the conductor—Sibelius. Eva is a specialist in Baltic Sea composers, and spent the last season as the principal conductor of the Nordic Chamber Orchestra, where she presented a season of German classical and Romantic repertoire mixed with composers like Jean Sibelius, Galina Ustvolskaya and Peteris Vasks.
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Listen to 24/7 on Spotify
“I met Hlandri and Ízleifur at their studio. They showed me the beat to the song, and Yung Nigo and I just kind of blurted out the hook to it on the spot. We made it in one session,” he laughs. “And it kind of sounds like we did.” The song was a massive success, which Hafþór is grateful for, though he doesn’t necessarily see himself in the track anymore. “I have a lot of love for that song,” Hafþór explains. “But I've matured a lot since it's release, and I feel that the song isn't really a good reflection of the person I am today.”
COMMENTARY BY HANS THE DRAG MONSTER
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Early release for good conduct
US I C & E V
The Reykjavík Grapevine 33 Issue 11— 2019
Our Picks
GYDA July 10th - 21:00 - Nordic House - 3,000 ISK Gyða Valtýsdóttir has long been an intriguing presence on the Icelandic music scene. From her beginnings as a member of múm, she vanished for a spell
while the band sunk into a hiatus; when she returned, she’d studied cello in Russia, toured the world with various diverse collaborators, and developed a desert
sun tan and a striking body of solo work. The resulting album—2018’s ‘Evolution’—is a gossamer delicate and hauntingly beautiful collection that’s currently in the running for the Nordic Music Prize. Live, Gyða’s shows are soothing, affecting, hypnotic, pin-dropquiet affairs, with the audience sitting rapt as a cocoon of gentle, whispering vocals and groaning, soaring cello is woven around them. Witness it yourself at the Nordic House on July 10th. JR
Black/Death Metal Night July 6th - 21:00 Gaukurinn Prove that you’re kvlt af at this dark ceremony featuring Narthraal and Dynfari. HJC
Mr. Silla & Jae Tyler July 12th - 21:00 - Mengi - 2,500 ISK Matched only by a truly honest and enigmatic stage presence, the ethereal sonic landscapes explored by Mr. Silla mirror that of the creative hatchery of Iceland. The god is joined by the pre-Madonna, post-wave pop icon Jae Tyler. HJC
The Cure 40th Anniversary Concert July 11th - 20:00 Bíó Paradís This is a live screening of the concert. Not the real one. That said, it’ll be just like heaven. HJC
Plur Fest 2019 July 13th - 22:00 - Austur - Free! Berghain might be 3,300 kilometres away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pretend you just got past their bouncer. Come get down to the best EDM, house, and other electro-crap Reykjavík has to offer. Ketamine not included. HJC
July 5th—July 18th
Concerts & Nightlife Events listed are all live performances and DJs. Venues are listed by day. For complete listings and detailed information on venues visit grapevine.is/happening. Send your listings to: listings@grapevine.is.
Friday July 5th Pink Iceland Queer Pop-Up: Daníel E. Arnarsson 19:00 Pink Iceland Reykjavík Classics: French Flute & Harp Romanticism 12:30 Harpa DJ Intr0beatz 23:00 Kaffibarinn Ninotchka 23:00 Boston Mr. Silla / Jae Tyler & Prins Póló 21:00 HAVARÍ DJ Sunsura 22:00 Prikið Troubadour Garðar Garðars 21:00 American Bar
Saturday July 6th Black & Death Metal Night: Narthraal / Devine Defilment / Dynfari 22:00 Gaukurinn Svavar Knútur & Kristjana Stefáns 18:00 Flóran Bistro Ravison 21:00 Stúdentakjallarinn Reykjavík Classics: French Flute & Harp Romanticism 12:30 Harpa DJ ELLEVILLE 23:00 Kaffibarinn Góss 14:00 Sólheimakirkja International Organ Summer: Johannes Skoog 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Már & Nielsen 18:00 Petersen svítan Uné Boys 22:00 Prikið Exos / LaFontaine / Waage 22:00 Bravó Troubadour Alexander Aron 21:00 American Bar
Sunday July 7th JFDR 16:00 Gljúfrasteinn International Organ Summer: Johannes Skoog 17:00 Hallgrímskirkja Sunday Jazz 20:00 Bryggjan Brugghús
Helga Margrét 21:00 Sæta Svínið Gabriele D'Alonzo 21:00 Stúdentakjallarinn Reykjavík Classics: The Icelandic Art Song 12:30 Harpa DJ Terrordisco 23:00 Kaffibarinn Schola Cantorum Choir 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Troubadour Alexander Aron 22:00 American Bar
/ Morgunroði / Otem 23:00 Boston Troubadour Rúnar Kristinn 21:00 American Bar
Saturday July 13th Reykjavík Classics: The Icelandic Art Song 12:30 Harpa DJ Frímann 23:00 Kaffibarinn Sigga Eyrún & Kalli Olgeirs 14:00 Sólheimakirkja
Wednesday July 17th
Reykjavík Classics: French Flute & Harp Romanticism 12:30 Harpa DJ Krystal Carma 23:00 Kaffibarinn Myrra Rós 15:00 Nordic House Dirty Cello 21:00 Hard Rock Café Troubadour Hlynur Ben 22:00 American Bar
Monday July 8th Reykjavík Classics: The Icelandic Art Song 12:30 Harpa DJ Frosty 23:00 Kaffibarinn Troubadour Alexander Aron 22:00 American Bar
Tuesday July 9th Icelandic Music & Storytelling 13:00 IÐNÓ Karaoke Party! 21:00 Gaukurinn Reykjavík Classics: The Icelandic Art Song 12:30 Harpa DJ Bricks 23:00 Kaffibarinn Jazz Night 20:30 Kex Hostel Agnes Thorsteins & Eva Þyri Hilmarsdóttir 20:30 Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum DJ Sensi 22:00 Prikið Troubadour Garðar Garðars 22:00 American Bar
Wednesday July 10th GYDA 21:00 Nordic House Velvet Villain / Kisimja / Parasol 22:00 Gaukurinn Jazz With A View: Byzantine Silhouette 21:00 Harpa Don Lockwood Band 21:00 Slippbarinn DJ KrBear 22:00 Prikið Party Karaoke With DJ Dóra Júlía &
Icelandic Music & Storytelling 13:00 IÐNÓ Reykjavík Classics: Mozart Piano Quintet K452 12:30 Harpa DJ Silja Glommi 23:00 Kaffibarinn Jazz Night 20:30 Kex Hostel Sólveig Sigurðardóttir & Gerrit Schuil 20:30 Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum Troubadour Biggi Sævars 22:00 American Bar
JFDR, shredding
Thursday July 11th JFDR / Jaakko Eino Kalevi / Farao 21:00 IÐNÓ The Cure 40th Anniversary Concert 20:00 Bíó Paradís B1B2 18:00 Petersen svítan International Organ Summer: Eyþór Franzson Wechner 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Reykjavík Classics: The Icelandic Art Song 12:30 Harpa DJ Árni Vector 23:00 Kaffibarinn Hank & Tank 21:00 Gaukurinn DJ Marbendill 22:00 Prikið Troubadours Hreimur & Matti 22:00 American Bar
Friday July 12th Mr. Silla & Jae Tyler 21:00 Mengi Helium Karaoke Party 22:00 Gaukurinn Reykjavík Classics: The Icelandic Art Song 12:30 Harpa DJ KGB 23:00 Kaffibarinn Sprite Zero Klan 21:00 Stúdentakjallarinn Jazz Night 20:00 Loft DJ Thaison B2B Karítas 22:00 Prikið DJ Bricks Hip-Hop Jam #8: Orðljótur
DJ Vald & Spegill 22:00 Prikið International Organ Summer: Johannes Zeinler 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Troubadour Siggi Þorbergs 21:00 American Bar
Sunday July 14th Sunday Jazz 20:00 Bryggjan Brugghús Reykjavík Classics: The Icelandic Art Song 12:30 Harpa DJ Fusion Groove 23:00 Kaffibarinn International Organ Summer: Johannes Zeinler 17:00 Hallgrímskirkja Árni Vil 15:00 Nordic House lowercase night 21:00 Prikið Troubadour Hlynur Ben 22:00 American Bar
Mattias Nilsson 21:00 Nordic House Don Lockwood Band 21:00 Slippbarinn Party Karaoke With DJ Dóra Júlía & Helga Margrét 21:00 Sæta Svínið Reykjavík Classics: Mozart Piano Quintet K452 12:30 Harpa Jazz With A View: Conga Swing 21:00 Harpa DJ Pilsner 23:00 Kaffibarinn Schola Cantorum Choir 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja DJ Maggi Lego 22:00 Prikið Troubadour Siggi Þorbergs 21:00 American Bar
Thursday July 18th Reykjavík Classics: Mozart Piano Quintet K452 12:30 Harpa DJ Bensöl 23:00 Kaffibarinn DJ Óli Dóri 18:00 Petersen svítan In Siren / Captain Syrup / Progesteron 21:00 Gaukurinn DJ SiggaSiggaSigga 22:00 Prikið International Organ Summer: Jón Bjarnason 12:00 Hallgrímskirkja Troubadours Hreimur & Matti 22:00 American Bar
Monday July 15th Reykjavík Classics: Mozart Piano Quintet K452 12:30 Harpa DJ Davíð Roach 23:00 Kaffibarinn Troubadour Arnar Friðriks 22:00 American Bar
Tuesday July 16th Karaoke Party! 21:00 Gaukurinn
For music listings from July 18th on, check out happening.grapevine.is or our app Appening, available on iOS and Android
Music
The Reykjavík Grapevine 34 Issue 11— 2019
These kids don't eat blood sausage
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
The Taste Of Victory
Diving into the winners of Iceland’s Músiktilraunir Words: Felix Robertsson Photo: Patrik Ontkovic
WELCOME TO THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
Music Competition Blóðmör, Konfekt and Ásta won Músíktilraunir 2019. See them at Iceland Airwaves, and find them on Facebook
In the world of Icelandic music, Músiktilraunir, Iceland’s ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition, is a veritable kingmaker. Running for over 30 years, it’s helped kickstart bands like Mammút, Vök, and Of Monsters and Men. This year, the winner was metal band Blóðmör (Blood Pudding, in English), while Konfekt came second, and singer/ songwriter Ásta Kristín Pjetursdóttir third. All three bands recently played at Secret Solstice and will play at Airwaves this November.
Help from mom
The National Museum of Iceland Suðurgata 41, 101 Reykjavík
The Culture House Hverfisgata 15, 101 Reykjavík
Opening Hours Daily 10–17 Closed on Mondays 16/9–30/4
www.nationalmuseum.is +354 530 2200 @icelandnationalmuseum @thjodminjasafn
Since the competition finale in April, Blóðmör have remained hard at work. “We’ve been performing almost every week,” the band tells me after a soundcheck at Iðnó. They’ve also released an EP called ‘Líkþorn’—a moody assortment of tracks straddling the line between rock and metal. Have just one listen and you’ll understand why the band won the prize for Best Guitarist at Músiktilraunir. “It’s had a great response,” says guitarist and vocalist Haukur Þór Valdimarsson of the EP. “We re-
corded it before we won Músiktilraunir, but we’ve just released it now, so it’s been very good timing for us.” But despite their victory in Musiktilraunir, they hope to continue recording, taking advantage of the time they won at Sundlaugin studio. Their success belies the youth of the band. “We only came together in 2016,” Haukur explains. “Though Matthías Stefánsson, our bassist and vocalist, and I had already played in a band before we joined with Ísak Þorsteinsson, our drummer.” Of course, one must ask about the name. “My mother came up with it,” Hau k ur laughs. “But I don’t think any of us actually like blóðmör. It’s edible—but we wouldn’t choose to eat it.”
tively young, only coming together in 2018, but they have already developed a defined style, deftly switching between Icelandic and English in tracks that are both relaxed and tightly controlled. This is all the more impressive considering that Músiktilraunir was one of their first major musical events. In fact, when they came to sign up, they didn’t even have a fixed name. Konfekt, though, suits the allgirl band well. “It means assorted chocolates,” says singer Anna Ingibjörg Þorgeirsdóttir. “And we thought that it resembled our range of songs—some you might like, some you might not—but they’re all different.”
Next big things Ásta Kristín Pjetursdóttir, who won third place, cuts a rather different figure. Arguably better known as one of Iceland’s foremost classical violinists, Ásta only began writing her ow n songs recently, describing how she began w riti ng poetr y which then fed into her song w riting. While she wasn’t playing at Iðnó, she will surely be one to look out for at Airwaves, especially for her award-winning Icelandic lyrics. Her songs are captivatingly sparse, utilising only a guitar and her ethereal voice, but it’s powerfully effective. Could any of these acts achieve the successes of Mammút and Of Monsters and Men? It’s a bold proposition, but when you hear the skill of these three new contenders, and look at their achievements thus far, there’s more than a little reason to be hopeful.
“I don’t think any of us actually like blóðmör. It’s edible—but we wouldn’t choose to eat it.”
Indie kids fight back Second place winners and indie kids Konfekt have also been keeping busy since their Músiktilraunir success. “We’ve been recording a lot,” explains drummer Eva Kolbrún Kolbeins. “We’re taking it one step at a time. We’ll start by releasing a single and see where it goes from there.” The band, like Blóðmör, is rela-
gpv.is/music Share this + Archives
The Reykjavík Grapevine 35 Issue 11— 2019
A team effort
Blurring The Boundaries Reykjavík Midsummer Music Festival Makes Chamber Music Modern
Words: Felix Robertsson Photo: Leifur Wilberg Orrason
Festival Reykjavík Midsummer Music took place at Harpa June 20th-23rd
You could be forgiven for thinking a piece entitled ‘Homage to Robert Schumann’ would sound like music by Schumann. I’m guessing that most of the audience who attended the Reykjavík Midsummer Music Festival on June 21st might have thought the same. But, dear reader, how wrong they were. György Kurtág’s haunting composition may reference Schumann in the title, and it is often performed interspersed with works by Schumann, but the similarities largely end there. Instead, the audience was treated to a set of six discordant movements, where piano, clarinet and viola flutter up and down chromatic scales and clash in stark crescendos. It was another reminder that the Reykjavík Midsummer Music Festival never fails to surprise.
Contemporary classics While Reykjavík Midsummer Music, which ran for the seventh time this year from June 20th to 23rd, is technically a festival of chamber music, you can quickly dispense with any notions of old-fashioned stuffiness. For starters, it’s directed by Víkingur Ólafsson, the virtuoso Icelandic pianist for former
Grapevine coverstar whose provocative and brilliant recordings of Bach and Philip Glass have brought him international renown. Víkingur has often argued that any music is contemporary if played today, and this sentiment suffuses the programming of the festival. And then there’s the venue, Reykjavík’s magnificent Harpa Concert Hall; it’s award-winning architecture reminding you that this is, in every sense, a fiercely modern affair.
Technical brilliance Admittedly, there was no shortage of ‘old’ music. The festival opened with Austrian baritone Florian Boesch giving a heart-rending performance of Brahms’ final song cycle, but it was in his performance of four Bach arias that he really came into his own, bringing a sense of drama and calm in equal measure. Another highlight was violinist Yura Lee, who was almost as busy as Víkingur and switched effortlessly between times and genres. Her stunningly technical playing in Shostakovitch’s unprogrammed piano quintet deserves high praise, as does her unprogrammed fiddling in ‘Blue Grass,’ displaying her
extraordinary versatility. Perhaps the most contemporary and abstract set was by Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Late in the evening of the 22nd, the so-called ‘father of ambient music’ treated us to a beautiful, increasingly psychedelic soundscape, complemented by meticulously restrained piano. It was a profoundly meditative experience, and I wanted to throttle the group behind me who inexplicably whispered through most of the hour. Of course, no concert with Víkingur would be complete without Phillip Glass, but it was actually the brilliant French piano due, the Labèque sisters, who closed the festival, first with Glass’ ‘The Poet Acts’ and then ‘Four Movements for Two Pianos’, bringing the festival to a close with a great cascade of keys and chords which roiled and plunged and garnered a standing ovation from the audience
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Making you think There were doubtless some challenging moments in the programme. In Kurtág’s homage in particular, there was a fair bit of shifting in the audience, especially in the pointedly long pauses between the movements. It was, invariably, not a relaxing listen. But M id s u m mer Music has loftier goals than that. Such was the range of music that one would almost certainly have fou nd somet h i ng that struck them, and the technical and musical expertise on display was a privilege to behold. Ultimately, Reykjavík Midsummer Music was a towering success, not least because it did what all the best classical music does —it made you think.
“I wanted to throttle the group who inexplicably whispered through most of the hour.”
Kjarvalsstaðir Flókagata 24 105 Reykjavík +354 411 6400
Open daily 10h00–17h00 artmuseum.is #reykjavikartmuseum
Art
i8 Gallery Tryggvagata 16 101 Reykjavík info@i8.is t: +354 551 3666 www.i8.is
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The Arts And Crafts movements comes to Kjarvalsstaðir
6 June - 12 August 2019
B.INGRID OLSON Fingered Eyed
VISIT KÓPAVOGUR CULTURE HOUSES AND EXPERIENCE
The wild world of William Morris Words: Berglind Jóna Hlynsdóttir
Photo: Berglind Jóna Hlynsdóttir & William Morris Gallery
Exhibition ‘Let Beauty Rule’ was made in collaboration with the William Morris Gallery, London, and Millesgården, Stockholm. See it at Kjarvalsstaðir until Oct. 6th. More info: artmuseum.is
Gerðarsafn Kópavogur Art Museum Náttúrufræðistofa Kópavogs Natural History Museum of Kópavogur
Dungeons, Dragons And English Magic
OUTLINE 06.04.–08.09.19 & MANY FACES OF NATURE & MORE
Salurinn Concert Hall Bókasafn Kópavogs Kópavogur Public Library
MENNINGARHUSIN. KO PAVO G U R . I S
Hamraborg 4–6 Kópavogur
Bus 1, 2, 4, 28, 35 & 36
The Kjarvalsstaðir Art Museum is currently festooned with eye -plea si ng pat ter n s, ha nd painted originals, woven fabrics, printed plates, books, furniture, stained glass and tiles by legendary British artist, activist, poet and craftsman William Morris (1834-1896) and his collaborators, friends and family. The most celebrated artist of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Morris was a socialist and activist who founded the predecessor of the Labour Party in Britain. He also founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. with his friends— later known as 'The Firm'—producing handcrafted household décor. They worked in resistance to the industrial revolution by preser v i ng t rad it iona l techniques, and giving recognition to everyone involved in the creation of each piece.
Sustainability and ethics Museum director Ólöf Kristín Sigurðardóttir explains the aim of the exhibition is to bring to light not only the beautiful patterns
that Moris is best known for, but also his political activism, his connections to Iceland, and the artists and collaborators who surrounded him. “One thing that characterised him as a thinker and initiator is that he knew craft,” says Ölof. “He could do ever y thing; he knew how to make stained glass windows, he k new the processes for making tiles, how to weave and embroider. He would acquaint himself with the processes from beginning to end. Sustainability in design is perhaps what that makes him interesting in our time. It’s exactly where we are today.”
handcrafted, from the walls to the tables, with many medieval references. He often entertained friends, and it’s well-known that he and his circle owned armour. “Its evident that these guys were deep into Dungeons and Dragons,” Ólöf laughs.
Travel diaries and Middle Earth ‘Let Beauty Rule’ also displays items Morris bought in Iceland during his travels in 1871 and 1873, and sagas he translated from Icelandic with Cambridge scholar Erík Magnússon. Morris’s writing and translations inspired many fiction and fantasy writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, some of whose Middle Earth languages are believed to have been inspired by Morris’s Icelandic-sounding English. Morris also wrote extensive diaries about his time in Iceland addressed to his friend Georgiana Burne-Jones, which were poetically reinterpreted and republished in Lavinia Green law ’s ‘Q uestions of Travel.’ Morris’s work, politics and complicated love life have captivated people’s imaginations throughout the years. Ólöf references Jeremy Deller’s work ‘English Magic,’ which shows Morris as a giant throwing Roman Abramovich’s yacht into the ocean. “When we think about this work we see how close to the British spirit Morris is when he is chosen to represent what Deller calls ‘English Magic,’” finishes Ólöf. “At Kjarvalsstaðir there are, shown in tandem, collaborative works by Morris’s wife, Jane, and paintings of her by her lover Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The exquisite works of Morris, his daughter, wife and friends will interest anyone keen on beauty, handcraft, textile, literature or politics.”
“Sustainability in design is perhaps what that makes William Morris interesting in our time. It’s exactly where we are today.”
Dungeons and Dragons While the works are often craftbased, Ólöf says the body of work has an emotional appeal. “These works are emotionally charged, and the craftsmanship is excellent,” she says. “They’re not majestic, and they don’t discuss great events, but they deal with great emotions, even though the works look back to medieval times.” Morris built his Southeast London home, Red House, to embody his ideas. Every part was
The Reykjavík Grapevine 37 Issue 11— 2019
Our Picks compositions with fantastical imagery. Next up is the master Finnbogi Pétursson, whose work can best be described as an indefinable melange of music, performance, Cheating The Constant and technology. Until August Then you’ve got artists? Look 2nd - BERG the leading figure no further. First Contemporary of kinetic and on the roster is programmed Dodda Maggý, whose audio-visu- art Gruppo MID, Looking for a al work combines multimedia and supergroup of ethereal musical Venice Biennalecontemporary
approved artist Jitish Kallat, the socio-politically charged electrical pieces of Iván Navarro, and the visual datapacked works of Sirra Sigrún Sigurðardóttir. If that’s not enough, pioneering electronic media and video art maverick Steina will be included, too. HJC
Varðað Until August 11th - Ásmundarsalur Four young artists explore the history and environment of the Skólavörðuholt hill using humour and
L'uomo | SQ playfulness. Come get nostalgic about the cruz of Reykjavík city. Ásmundarsalur will deliver all you dream of. HJC
July 4th-6th - 20:00 - Dillon 2,400 ISK Internationally touring contemporary dance company Lo-Giudice Dance
Art Market join choreographer Ali Heffetz for a captivating double bill performance as part of Reykjavík Fringe Festival. JG
July 7th - 11:00 KEX Hostel - Free! Hell yeah! We love art! You do, too! So go to KEX and buy some! Support young artists so they
don’t have to cry every day and fight seagulls for scrap food. You think we’re joking? We’re not. JG
July 5th—July 18th
Art Listings Events are listed by venue. For complete listings and detailed information on venues, visit grapevine.is/happening. Send your listings to: listings@grapevine.is Opening ÓFEIGUR GULLSMIÐJA Angelo Sturiale: Sjö Italian composer, visual artist, and performer Angelo Sturiale presents a collection of colour drawings exploring inner worlds, secret messages, love, music, and poetry. • Opens on July 5th, 2019 • Runs until July 23rd, 2019
Ongoing
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND Treasures Of A Nation A selection of over 80 works chosen from the national gallery’s collection displays the evolution of art since the 19th century. • Runs until December 31st, 2019 EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM Permanent Exhibition The museum contains close to 300 artworks including a beautiful garden with 26 bronze casts of the artist’s sculptures. ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEM Daily Guided Tours Tours are from 13:00 to 14:00 through its open-air exhibits. REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM Settlement Sagas As Viking ruins meet digital technology, this exhibition provides insight into Reykjavík's farms at the time of the first settlers. REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM ÁSMUNDARSAFN Ásmundur Sveinsson: Under the Same Sky - Art In Public Space Ásmundarsafn is named after sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson. This new permanent exhibition presents the artist in a new light. What dialogue does his works provoke? • Runs until December 31st, 2019 Jóhann Eyfells: Palpable Forces Early in the 1950’s, Jóhann Eyfells started creating abstract sculptures which were based on experiments in physics and chemistry. Come see them here. • Runs until August 25th, 2019 REYKJAVÍK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY Icelandic Meat Soup Photographer Kristjón Haraldsson focuses on the practice, process,
and form of photography, ultimately creating intimate portraits of himself, his family, and the nation of Iceland in the '70s and '80s. • Runs until September 8th, 2019 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND Myth Of A Woman Agnieszka Sosnowska immigrated to Iceland 13 years. With her photographs, she documents herself, her students, new family members, and friends. Her inspiration is the strength of the female spirit. • Runs until September 1st, 2019 Life, as it is lived, before the transformation In stark black and white, Yrsa Roca Fannberg captured life in Árneshreppur, the smallest parish in Iceland. Crisp and unrelenting, the photos capture the symbiotic relationship between man, animal and dirt. • Runs until September 1st, 2019 REYKJAVÍK MARITIME MUSEUM Fish & Folk Name a better duo than fish and Iceland. You can’t. So come learn about the history of Icelandic fisheries from rowing boats to monstrous motor boats. Melckmeyt 1659 Melckmeyt was a Dutch merchant ship that crashed near Flatey Island in 1659. Explore the wreck here. REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM - HAFNARHÚS Erró: Mao's World Tour Between 1972 and 1980, Erró painted over 130 paintings, with two images of different origins against each other: Chinese propaganda posters of Mao Zedong and Western tourist pictures from famous sites. • Runs until January 5th, 2020 Human Condition Draft Of Contemporary Art History In Iceland [III] What does it mean to be human? What are the psychological and corporeal characteristics of it? Here, selected artists take on these fundamental questions. • Runs until September 15th, 2019 Finnbogi Pétursson In this private exhibition, Finnbogi Pétursson works to make sound waves visible though explorations in material, space, and physics. • Runs until September 15th, 2019 D38 Ragnheiður Káradóttir: mini-
mini multiverse Ragnheiður uses everyday objects and materials in her works, modifying them and giving them a new and unexpected role. The merger of these forms and materials results in the personification of dead objects. • Runs until August 11th, 2019 SIGURJÓN ÓLAFSSON MUSEUM Connections To celebrate the 13th anniversary of the museum, this exhibition presents 13 artists in dialogue with Sigurjón and his art. • Runs until October 6th, 2019 MUSEUM OF DESIGN AND APPLIED ART URBAN SHAPE Architect Paolo Gianfrancesco used data from Open Street Map to celebrate cities. The constant interplay of people and their environment will be revealed before your very eyes. • Runs until September 8th, 2019 MORRA Fashion designer Signý Þórhallsdóttir takes over the lobby to work with Icelandic flora on silk and paper for her MORRA collection. • Runs until September 25th, 2019 NORDIC HOUSE Porcelain Souls Photographer Inuuteq Storch went through his parents' archives and found photos and letters from their lives in Greenland and Denmark in the '60s and '80s. Explore them here. • Runs until September 26th, 2019 REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM KJARVALSSTAÐIR Jóhannes S. Kjarval: Can't Draw a Harebell Here, explore the floral works of Jóhannes S. Kjarval, after whom the museum is named. Be it ornamental plants, potted plants, or wildflowers, you'll find it all. • Runs until December 31st, 2019 William Morris: Let Beauty Rule! English artist William Morris was a true Icelandophile, and even translated the Sagas. Here, see original drawings of Morris’s patterns, wallpapers and work processes, paintings, drawings, and more. • Runs until October 6th, 2019 HAFNARBORG In Transition Eight photographers present their take on the town of Hafnarfjörður. The town is currently in a state of transition, and this exhibition documents its progress into that of a true urban centre. • Runs until August 25th, 2019 GERÐARSAFN KÓPAVOGUR ART MUSEUM Outline The exhibition 'Outline' shows works from the collection of Gerðarsafn
from 1950 until this day. In the exhibition, the outline becomes the connection between works in different mediums, the thread that ties them together. • Runs until September 8th, 2019 Culture Hunt This Culture Hunt will lead you in-between the Kópavogur Culture Houses, where in each location guests will be asked to solve a puzzle or answer a question on nature, art or music. It is available in English, Icelandic and Polish and is free of charge • Ending date TBA HVERFISGALLERÍ Corrections In Sigurður Árni Sigurðsson‘s third exhibition at Hverfisgallerí, he presents a body of work based on photographs and postcards that he collected all over Europe and corrected over the last three decades. • Runs until August 17th, 2019 REYKJAVÍK ROASTERS Í Kring This showcase features an exhibition at each of the three Reykjavík Roasters shops. The first exhibition (‘brief session of affection’) features five artists, whose work reveals truths about humour, irony and imperfection. • Runs until July 9th, 2019 I8 GALLERY Fingered Eyed B. Ingrid Olson’s classification-defying exhibition considers the nature of the dual through symmetry, form and function. Particularly striking are the indeterminate ‘Photographic Objects’ which aim to, as she says, ‘summon multiple truths simultaneously.’
Garðatorg 1· Garðabær Open Tue - Sun 12 -17
Exhibitions:
Urban Shape Paolo Gianfrancesco Behind the Scenes Archiving a ceramic collection Morra Signý Þórhallsdóttir Designer in residence
• Runs until August 10th, 2019 ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEUM HEIMAt: Two Worlds To mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival in 1949 of a group of Germans to who travelled to Iceland aboard the Esja ship, this exhibition presents photographs of their journey made by Marzena Skubatz. • Runs until October 31st, 2019 LIVING ART MUSEUM ...and what then? Wonder, surrender, fear and powerlessness. Excitement, joy and hope. Curiosity and indifference. These different threads all gather in uncertainty, which leads us to ask: and then what? • Runs until August 4th, 2019 KLING & BANG All Is Fair ‘All Is Fair’ is inspired by, as the press release says, "Tip toeing in flip-flops made of pizza boxes and tape," among other things. It sounds very weird and we can't guarantee you’ll ever be the same once you leave. • Runs until August 4th, 2019 HVERFISGALLERI Corrections Sigurður Árni Sigurðsson’s exhibition presents work based on photographs and postcards that the artist has collected all over Europe over the last three decades. Come soothe your wanderlust. • Runs until August 17th, 2019
CENTERTAINMENT events in the
of Reykjavik
Film
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Are you ready for Ice Docs? These two are
The Cold Truth Pawel Ziemilski’s ingenious documentary ‘In Touch’ reunites fractured families Words: Josie Gaitens Photos: Art Bicnick
Film Festival Ice Docs is held in Akranes July 17th21st. Get more info at icedocs.is
Despite having a surprisingly long and productive relationship with filmmaking for such a small countr y, there are those who would question whether Iceland needs another film festival. But for the founders of Ice Docs, Iceland’s first international documentary film festival, the space and requirement for their event is clear.
than 20 people there. The pair had previously worked together at the Reykjavík International Film Festival, so the solution they landed on to increase interest in documentary films was maybe not so surprising, considering their backgrounds and skills. But deciding to create a new annual, multi-day arts event from scratch is no easy task, and both knew it would be a labour of love. That conversation in the cinema took place less than two years ago. “It’s been a long process, very organic. It just happened,” muses Hallur. Ingibjörg adds, “We were thinking, okay, it’s seven months till summertime, we really don’t want to do it that fast, so we did it the very un-Icelandic way and decided just to be patient.” She smiles, “to be honest I could have used six more months.”
“He came out shaking his head saying, ‘I didn’t know documentaries could do this.’”
Finding a space “We’re very aware of the other festivals,” co-founder Ingibjörg Halldórsdóttir tells me. “People think we’re the same as Skjaldborg because of ‘documentary’ in the title. But Skjaldborg usually just does Icelandic documentaries and then focuses perhaps on one particular filmmaker.” In contrast, Ice Docs seeks to have a distinctly international focus, with an emphasis on creative uses of the genre. The idea for the festival came about, fittingly, in a cinema. Ingibjörg and co-founder, Hallur Örn Á rnason, himself a documentary filmmaker, were at a documentary premiere, bemoaning the fact that there were less
Variety of form The pair quickly teamed up with another Akranes-based filmmaker, Heiðar Mar Björnsson. The three share the same passion for documentaries and hope that the festival offers people the opportunity to experience the great range and versatility of the medium. At a promotional event for the festival last year, where they screened Irish film ‘School Life,’ even Hallur’s father, despite having a doc-
umentary filmmaker for a son, was blown away by the scope of the genre. “He came out shaking his head saying “‘I didn’t know documentaries could do this,’” Hallur grins. It’s this sensation that Ice Docs aims to instill. Both Hallur and Ingibjörg are quick to highlight the broad mix of films that will be screened over the five-day festival, believing there’s something for everyone in their programme. There’s ‘Aquarela’, a film about water with no protagonist, opening film ‘In Touch’, which recently won the Skjaldborg Film Festival, and the light-hearted ‘Hail Satan?’, which Ingibjörg describes as “A humorous approach to satanism.”
Putting Akranes on the map In total there will be over 40 films screened as part of the festival in the town’s charming theatre, which is one of the oldest operating cinemas in Iceland. In addition to opening up the world of documentaries for people, Ingibjörg in particular is keen to build Akranes’ reputation as an arts venue. Despite being only 40 minutes away from Reykjavík, Akranes has largely missed out on the tourist boom that has fuelled the Icelandic economy for the last 10 years. The founders of Ice Docs hope that holding the festival here will help raise the town’s profile. “We hope that people will see doc umentaries in a different light afterwards, but also that people see how cool Akranes is, and what a great location it is,” Ingibjörg summarises. “I think that would be excellent to see as many people there as possible. Join our village!”
gpv.is/film Share this + Archives
The Reykjavík Grapevine 39 Issue 11— 2019
Various Events
Friday July 12th Friday Party!: 'American Pie' Screening 20:00 Bíó Paradís How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits 19:30 Harpa Búkalú: Margrét Maack Burlesque Show 21:00 Tjarnarbíó
Fjallkonan is a new lively restaurant & pub in the heart of Reykjavík offering a selection of Icelandic and international dishes from local ingredients. Casual and cosy atmosphere yet still fun and festive. Stop by for snacks & drinks, lunch or dinner.
Saturday July 13th
Icelandic Delicacies
How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa
Sunday July 14th Seat Filler: Iceland's Only Free Game Show! 23:30 Secret Cellar Party Bingo With Sigga Kling 21:00 Sæta Svínið Guided Tour In English 11:00 National Museum Of Iceland How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits 19:30 Harpa Andrými Open House 12:00 Andrými
Monday July 15th Soulflow Women & Queer Comedy Night 21:00 Gaukurinn Free Ashtanga Yoga Class 17:30 Andrými
Tuesday July 16th Funniest Four: Comedy Show 21:00 The Secret Cellar Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits 19:30 Harpa
Wednesday July 17th Come sing along with Freddy
Friday July 5th Friday Party!: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Sing-A-Long Screening 20:00 Bíó Paradís Drag-Súgur Drag Show 21:00 Gaukurinn How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa The Lost Art Of Writing Letters 17:00 Djúpið Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits 19:30 Harpa Reykjavík Fringe Festival Various Times/Venues
19:00 Harpa HANS.mov [night]: 'Saved!' Screening 21:00 Gaukurinn
Monday July 8th Stand-Up Comedy (in English!) 21:00 Gaukurinn Free Ashtanga Yoga Class 17:30 Andrými
Tuesday July 9th Funniest Four: Comedy Show 21:00 The Secret Cellar
Saturday July 6th
Wednesday July 10th
How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa Búkalú: Margrét Maack Burlesque Show 21:00 HAVARÍ Reykjavík Fringe Festival Final Party & Award Ceremony 23:30 Bíó Paradís Reykjavík Fringe Festival Various Times/Venues
Pub Quiz 20:00 Loft Open Mic Stand-Up Comedy 21:00 The Secret Cellar Improv Iceland: Comedy In English! 20:00 Tjarnarbíó How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa 90s Teen Movie Pub Quiz 20:00 Bíó Paradís
Sunday July 7th
Thursday July 11th
Guided Tour In English 11:00 National Museum Of Iceland Seat Filler: Iceland's Only Free Game Show! 23:30 Secret Cellar Party Bingo With Sigga Kling 21:00 Sæta Svínið How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes
My Voices Have Tourettes 21:00 The Secret Celler How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa Meet -Up & Activism Workshop: "That Vegan Couple" 17:30 Gaukurinn
Open Mic Stand-Up Comedy 21:00 The Secret Cellar Improv Iceland: Comedy In English! 20:00 Tjarnarbíó How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa Drag Pub Quiz: Queer Films & TV 21:00 Gaukurinn
Thursday July 18th My Voices Have Tourettes 21:00 The Secret Cellar How To Become Icelandic In 60 Minutes 19:00 Harpa Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits 19:30 Harpa
Must try dishes LAMB & FLATBREAD
Slow cooked lamb, traditional Icelandic flatbread from the Westfjords, carrot purée, pickled red onions, horseradish sauce
ARCTIC CHARR & BLINI
Lighly cured arctic charr, chickpea blini, horseradish sauce, roe, crispy lentils, yuzu-elderflower dressing
ICELANDIC PLATTER > Puffin, crowberry gel > Minke whale, malt glaze > Lamb tartar, chive mayo
THE LAMB BURGER
Bacon, mushroom & date duxelle, pickled red onions, pickled cucumber, rucola, smoked cheese, fries
SKYR ETON MESS CHEESECAKE
White chocolate “Skyr” mousse, meringue, raspberries, raspberry sauce
-17 5 1 r u o H y Happ every dinae yby glass house w e! Draft beer, – halfpric s il ta k c o c and
For event listings from July 18th on, check out happening.grapevine.is or our app Appening, available on iOS and Android
FJALLKONAN WELCOMES YOU! fjallkonan.rvk
fjallkonan
Hafnarstræti 1–3 > Tel. +354 555 0950 > fjallkona.is
Making Of An Artist
The Reykjavík Grapevine 40 Issue 11— 2019 ity and womanhood was familiar and comforting to me. I liked the candidness in her work, the imagery of nature, and the fact that, even though we are from different eras, her words still resonate with many people. ‘The Bell Jar’ is still one of my favourite books. The heaviness of being a human is real sometimes.
“This idea in art is very important to me, to have beauty and the grotesque, noise and discomfort.”
hibit are a part of the work itself. This is why I am obsessed with lighting in my personal space, as well as on stage. The slightest dimming or colour change can have a monumental impact on the mood. And I like it moody! This also links to multisensory experiences and how it is becoming frequently explored. I’m curious to see how scent, taste, and touch will develop into a part of the artistic space in the future.
Contrast
MSEA spent a long time on this ambience
Dance Parties And Canadian Spit
I find intrigue in oppositions. Maybe this is why I enjoy living in Iceland so much—the darkness of the winter and the brightness of the summer. This idea in art is very important to me. To have beauty and the grotesque, noise and discomfort while not being afraid of silence or minimalism. Or maybe it’s really about balance. Because we’ll topple over otherwise.
Ambience This might seem like an obvious one, but for me it is an immense influence. The spaces we enter into to create, perform, and ex-
Moody ‘90s Speaking of moody. PortisheadCocteauTwinsNirvanaTwinPeaksCranberriesSonicYouthPixies.
Other Humans EVERYONE AROUND ME! I would like to give shout outs but it would take up this whole article. I am forever inspired by the communities I have been a part of. They have offered a safe environment for exploration, mistakes and collaboration—support systems are everything. I am nothing without you.
Siri, how does one become MSEA?
Words: Maria-Carmela Raso & John Rogers Photo: Art Bicnick
Musician
I felt like if I moved to Toronto, I too could be a part of the fam! It didn’t really work like that but I did get to see them live a bunch.
Listen to MSEA’s music at mseasik. bandcamp.com, and find out about her latest shows and exploits on most social media at @mseasik.
MSEA is a Reykjavík-based Canadian musician making intriguing, textural electronica-and-voice music. Her work often includes collaborative visuals—her first single, ‘Sex Self,’ was launched with a multi-disciplinary exhibition. Her new EP, ‘Hiding Under Things,’ is out now. “I’ve always found it difficult to articulate my inspirations,” she says, “because I tend to find it everywhere. This is more like a quick history of influencers, and definitely not everything!”
Dance Parties I was lucky to grow up in a neighbourhood with children my age who loved to dance. We would spend all of our time choreographing dance routines together, usually to Britney, Christina or Aqua, but I remember stumbling upon “The Score” by the Fugees and falling in love. I think I was eight. The kids weren’t into it so I kept it for solo dance parties. And I can’t forget to leave out Electric Circus—a live dance music television program that aired on MuchMusic—my only religion and probably where I got all of my awesome dance moves from.
Canadian Spit Brainwashing The secret to becoming an artist is really just suffering a medium amount of brainwashing. At one point you will realize you don’t want to follow the “word” of any gospel and you will grow a fondness towards the dark. This one is from bible camp. I had quite the religious family. It wasn’t all bad. There were many singalongs with my grandfather who really does sound like bible Elvis.
I will admit that the first time I heard Broken Social Scene I was a little confused. I had never heard music that broke structure, used brass, had interlude and, noise, and used voice as sparingly as they did (and could still be considered “accessible” music). I fell into the abyss of the BSS family (Do Make Say Think, Metric, Stars, Apostle of Hustle, etc.) and went through a couple of years of listening only to Canadian indie instrumental music like Godspeed You Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion.
What is a body anyway? I first saw Antony Gormely’s work at the MOMA in San Francisco. The piece was called ‘Quantum Cloud VII’ and I somehow felt like I was looking in a mirror. There was a feeling of the inner self reaching beyond the skin, energy expanding, networks connecting. I have had this experience several times while meditating and it’s something I think about now and again. The boundaries of our bodies, the skin as a “container of personal space”, as Gormely would describe it.
Sylvia Plath Her obsession with death, sexual-
Laugavegi 28 537 99 00 sumac@sumac.is sumac.is
The Reykjavík Grapevine 41 Issue 05—2019 A GUIDE THAT FUCKS YOU UP
A selection from
Every Happy Hour in 101 Reykjavík
Get the complete Happy Hour listings! Download our free app Appy Hour in the Apple and Android stores
AMERICAN BAR Every day from 16:00 to 19:00. Beer 800 ISK, Wine 900 ISK. APÓTEK Every day from 15:00 to 18:00. Beer 695 ISK, Wine 745 ISK. BAR ANANAS Every day from 16:00 to 20:00. Beer 700 ISK, Wine 800 ISK, Cocktails 1,650 ISK. BEER GARDEN Every day from 15:00 to 19:00. Beer 800 ISK, Wine 800 ISK. BÍÓ PARADÍS Every day from 17:00 to 19:00. Beer 800 ISK, Wine 800 ISK. BRAVÓ Every day from 11:00 to 20:00. Beer 700 ISK, Wine 900 ISK.
Wine 600 ISK, Cocktails 1,200 ISK. ÍSLENSKI BARINN Every day from 16:00 to 18:00. Beer 700 ISK, Wine 700 ISK. IÐA ZIMSEN Every day from 19:00 to 22:00. Beer 495 ISK. ÍSAFOLD Every day from 16:00 to 18:00. Beer 600 ISK, Wine 900 ISK. KAFFIBARINN Every day from 15:00 to 20:00. Beer 750 ISK, Wine (On Wed.) 700 ISK. KAFFIBRENNSLAN Every day from 16:00 to 20:00. Beer 550 ISK, Wine 750 ISK. KALDI Every day from 16:00 to 19:00. Beer 750 ISK, Wine 750 ISK.
CAFÉ BABALÚ Every day from 19:00 to 21:00. Beer 890 ISK, Wine 795 ISK.
FORRÉTTABARINN Every day from 16:00 to 19:00. Beer 750 ISK, Wine 750 ISK. GAUKURINN Every day from 14:00 to 21:00. Beer 600 ISK, Wine 750 ISK, Shots 750 ISK. GEIRI SMART Every day from 16:00 to 18:00. Beer 500 ISK,
KEX HOSTEL Every day from 15:00 to 19:00. Beer 750 ISK, Wine 750 ISK.
KIKI QUEER BAR Wed to Sun from 20:00 to 23:00. Beer 600 ISK, Wine 1,000 ISK, Shots 600 ISK.
Hard Rock Café Every day 15-18 Nachos, wings & onion rings 990 ISK
Sólon Monday - Friday 11:00 - 14:30 Soup of the day - 990 ISK
Dominos Tuesdays–All day Medium Sized pizza with 3 toppings -1,000 ISK–Vegan option
Tapas Barinn Every day 17:00 - 18:00 Half off of selected tapas Various prices
PABLO DISCOBAR Every day from 17:00 to 18:00. Beer 700 ISK, Wine 1,000 ISK, Cocktails 1,500 ISK. PRIKIÐ Weekdays from 16:00 to 20:00. Beer 600 ISK. PETERSEN SVÍTAN Every day from 16:00 to 20:00, Beer 800 ISK, Wine 1,000 ISK, Cocktails 1,500 ISK.
Glacier Walks
STOFAN CAFÉ Every day from 16:00 to 18:00. Beer 750 ISK, Wine 950 ISK. SOLON Everyday from 15:00 to 18:00. Beer 800 ISK, Wine 800 ISK. SUSHI SOCIAL Every day from 17:00 to 18:00. Beer 645 ISK, Wine 745 ISK, Half-priced cocktails. TAPAS BARINN Every day from 17:00 to 18:00. Beer 645 ISK, Wine 745 ISK. VEÐUR Every day from 12:00 to 19:35. Beer 800 ISK, Wine 800 ISK.
Deig / Le Kock Every day–All day Donut, coffee & bagel -1,000 ISK KEX Hostel Every day 15:00 - 19:00 Chicken wings 650 ISK Baked almonds 500 ISK Sushi Social Every day 17:00 - 18:00 Truffle potatoes 1,000 ISK
SÆTA SVÍNIÐ Every day from 15:00 to 18:00. Beer 645 ISK, Wine 745 ISK.
ÖLSTOFAN Every day from 15:00 to 20:00. Beer 750 ISK, Wine 800 ISK.
SKÚLI CRAFT BAR Every day from 12:00 to 19:00. Beer 900 ISK, Wine 900 ISK.
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WELCOME TO HAFNARFJÖRÐUR Harbour Village Harbour Village is the perfect place to explore on foot, with a lively harbour, vibrant town centre and curious culture.
LOFTIÐ Every day from 18:00 to 21:00. Beer 800 ISK, Wine 800 ISK, Shots 500 ISK, Cocktails 1,500 ISK. MARBAR Every day from 16:00 to 19:00. Beer 600 ISK, Wine 650 ISK.
Hafnarfjörður is also home to three fantastic geothermal pools, all with their own character, so be sure to take a dip!
Fantastic Thermal Pools: Ásvallalaug Suðurbæjarlaug Sundhöll Hafnarfjarðar
Featured Happy Hour fresco. Happy CAFÉ PARIS AUSTURSTRÆTI 14 Hour, which is everyday from 16:00 to 19:00, Café Paris: serves up draft a name that beer, red and immediately white wine, conjures up sparkling wine, images of days aperol spritzes, spent outside and a cocktail of on Austurvöllur, people-watching the day for 950 ISK! Damn. Don't and swigging miss it. cold beers al
Gló Every day–All day Bowl of the month - 1,290 ISK Vegan option
Avocado fries 690 ISK Lobster sushi, ribs & more 890 ISK
Shalimar Monday - Friday 12:00 - 14:30 Curry - 1,290 ISK Vegan option
1,500 ISK And Under
Sæta svínið Every day 15–18 Chicken wings 1,190 ISK "Dirty" fries 1,390 ISK
Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar Tuesdays–All day Burger, french fries & soda 1,390 ISK
Experience the town through its art and historical artefacts, at two museums offering free entry to numerous exhibitions around town.
Free Museums Hafnarborg Art Museum Hafnarfjörður Museum
LOFT Every day from 16:00 to 20:00. Beer 750 ISK, Wine 750 ISK.
Cheap Food 1000 ISK And Under
MIAMI Every day from 15:00 to 20:00. Beer 500 ISK, Wine 800 ISK, Cocktails 1,000 ISK.
SPÁNSKI BARINN Every day from 14:00 to 20:00. Beer 650 ISK, Wine 850 ISK.
HAFNARFJÖRÐUR 2019
BRYGGJAN BRUGGHÚS Every day from 15:00 to 19:00. Beer 700 ISK, Wine 1,050 ISK.
DILLON Every day from 14:00 to 19:00. Beer 600 ISK, Wine 850 ISK.
Here are some deals that'll keep your wallet feeling happy and full.
MATUR OG DRYKKUR Wed to Sun from 16:00 to 18:00. Beer 550 ISK, Wine 700 ISK, Cocktails 1,500 ISK
Solon Monday - Friday 11:00 - 14:30 Ceasar salad 1,490 ISK
Lemon Every day 16:00 - 21:00 2f1 Juice + sandwich 1,095 ISK Vegan option
Bryggjan Brugghús Monday - Friday 11:30 - 15:00 Dish of the day soup & bread 1,690 ISK
Uppsalir - Bar and cafe Every day 11-14 Burger & fries 1,390 ISK Vegan option
Solon Monday - Friday 11:00 - 14:30 Fish of the day 1,990 ISK
2,000 ISK And Under Essensia Every day–All day Lunch–catch of the day - 1,980 ISK
Matarkjallarinn Monday - Friday 11:30 - 15:00 Fisherman's fish soup -1,990 ISK
5,000 ISK And Under Apótek Every day 11:30 - 16.00 Two-course lunch -3,390 ISK Three course lunch - 4,390 ISK
Kids Eat Free All Icelandair Hotel restaurants At Prikið if you order two adult meals At Haust the buffet is free for kids
Books
The Reykjavík Grapevine 42 Issue 11— 2019
VISIT
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Powerhouse poets drop the mic at Veröld
Prison And Paradise
Eminent UK poets share letters with Iceland Words: a rawlings & Felix Robertson Photos: Kristín Viðarsdóttir
Literary Event 'Letters To Iceland' occurred on June 21st-22nd
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SkólavörDustígur 23 • 101 reykjavík
Reykjavík’s literary world celebrated solstice with a duet of events featuring heavyweight UK authors Simon Armitage, Lavinia Greenlaw and Paul Muldoon. As one of Ireland’s foremost poets, Muldoon has published over thirty collections, including works that have won him a Pulitzer Prize and the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry. He held the Oxford Professor of Poetry post from 1999-2004, a post that is now held by Armitage. As a poet, novelist, and translator, Armitage is similarly highly acclaimed for his lifetime commitment to literature. Armitage recently received the position of Britain’s Poet Laureate. Greenlaw’s impressive catalogue includes libretti, soundworks, novels, and poetry. Her book ‘Questions of Travel: William Morris in Iceland’ annotates 19th-century t ex t i le de sig ner a nd author Will iam Morr i s’ t ravel writing with her own poetic suppositions. W h i l e each author has prev iously v i sited Iceland, this is the first time they appear toget her i n t he country for liter a r y e vent s . A r m it a ge ha s previously visited Iceland wh i le w riti ng ‘Moon Cou ntr y ’ together with Glyn Maxwell, and Greenlaw spent time here while researching her poetic meditation on Morris’ travels through Iceland in the 1870s.
Co-organised by the University of Iceland‘s Institute of Research in Literature and Visual Arts and the Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature, the events focused on an interview session as well as a book launch and readings. The events are an extension of Sjón’s organizational efforts for the 2017 conference “The Tower at the End of the World,” an impressive gathering on island literature held in the Faroe Islands.
Unfurling connections Friday’s public conversation at Veröld focused on unfurling poetic connections between Iceland and the British Isles. Greenlaw, Muldoon, and Armitage were joined by translators and scholars Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir, Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson, and Sveinn Yngvi Egilsson to explore literary intersections in the north. One recurring theme was the remote and isolated nature of Iceland. “It was at the top left of the map,” said Armitage, describing his ow n fascination with Iceland i n conversation with Sveinn Yng vi Eg i l sson. “It always felt alluring and my s t er iou s .” Armitage also suggested that the nature of islands themselves may have held a key appeal, describing how they hold a “contrast both of pr i son, maro on ment, a nd also paradise.” He suggested that the nature of Great Britain as an island may well have meant writers such as W.H. Auden and William Morris felt an affinity with Iceland.
“Though nearly 150 years have passed since Morris’ experiences in Iceland, his accounts may resonate with tourists today.”
Sense of removal Greenlaw suggested that this could have been a key reason why it drew Morris in particular to Iceland in the 1870s, emphasising his desire to escape his increasingly unhappy marriage and for a sense of removal. Though nearly 150 years have passed since Morris’ experiences in Iceland, his accounts may resonate with tourists today. Greenlaw explained that Morris was outraged to discover that there were already British travellers in Iceland “and that there was rubbish and litter at the geysers.” But it was perhaps the social aspect that really struck Morris the most. His famous quote—“the most grinding poverty is a trifling evil compared with the inequality of classes”—may well have been influenced by his experience of the already relatively classless Icelandic society. Greenlaw asserted how this initially came as a shock to Morris’ “wealthy Victorian confidence.” “People would come up and talk to him,” described Greenlaw. “He could look at the place, but was surprised that the place could look back.”
Interesting tension For the second event held at the Nordic House, the fine literary press Dimma published bilingual editions of poetry books by each author in a series called ‘Letters to Iceland.’ Greenlaw’s “Kennsl” (meaning identification or recognition) was translated by Magnús Sigurðsson, while Sjón translated Muldoon’s “Seven poems” as “Sjö ljóð.” Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir handled the translation of Armitage’s “Þaðan sem við horfum” (“From there we look”). Poets and translators read aloud excerpts from the books at the launch. In addition to these events, Muldoon, Greenlaw, and Armitage attended a guided tour of Kjarvalsstaðir’s exhibition “Sölvi Helgason: Blómsturheimar,” in the same space where Morris’ exhibition “Alræði fegurðar!” is now in residence through October 10th. They also met with first lady Eliza Reid at Bessastaðir, and visited Borgarfjörður for the Settlement Centre and the Borg á Mýrum church where Iceland-UK connections were emphasised. Of her experiences in Iceland, Greenlaw commented that “there’s always a sense of possibility. You can stand on the sea and look out. You feel both a sense of travel and being held back. It’s an interesting tension.”
Lifestyle
The Reykjavík Grapevine 43 Issue 11— 2019 FANCIES is where we talk to Reykjavík's most fashion-forward figures about style
Natka Klimowicz Natka Klimowicz (27) is an illustrator Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Art Bicnick
Natka is wearing: ▶▶ Holographic Jesus sunglasses. They were a gift from a friend ▶ Handmade ▶ earrings from Savvy ▶▶ Vintage velvet bodysuit from a Polish second-hand store ▶▶ Vintage jacket from Wasteland ▶▶ Vintage skirt from Fatamarkaðurinn ▶▶ Vintage combat boots Describe your style in five words: Things my Mom finds weird. Favourite stores in Reykajvík: I think Wasteland. I generally shop only in second-hand stores.
Favourite piece: Maybe this bodysuit. You can’t see but it has a stripper back and I always wonder who it was made for. Was it just a costume for some stripper? I think it was one of the first things I ever bought at a second hand store. This was years ago. Something I would never wear: There’s many things, but I definitely just try to avoid clothing from big chain shops. I don’t think I can look good in things that have such guilt associated with them. Lusting after: I don’t think such a thing exists. I just go and see what I need. That’s it. I really like going to second hand stores and just looking around for something that makes me feel cool.
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Food
Find the best food in Iceland! Download our free events app, APPENING, on the Apple and Android stores
any pans for luncH? Keeping it in the family
The O.G.
Hornið celebrates 40 years of slinging pizza Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photo: Art Bicnick
Italian Restaurant Visit Hornið at Hafnarstræti 15
FISH panS icelandic "plokkfiskur" Onion, garlic, potatoes, celery, lime, white wine, cream and butter
1,950 isk
arcTic cHar Honey, almonds, cherry– tomatoes, lemon and butter
2,200 isk redfisH
Chili, celery root, sour cream, corn, lemon and cream
2,200 isk
Running a restaurant is an unforgiving business in which a ten-year run is considered noteable. Yet, it if you look around, there’s no shortage of spots that have been around longer than the Internet and burrito bowls combined. One such outlier is the neighborhood restaurant Hornið, which celebrates its 40th birthday this month. Hornið was established in 1979 by husband-and-wife duo Jakob Hörður Magnússon a nd Va lgerð u r Jóhannsdóttir, and has been owned and operated by them and their children ever since. This makes the restaurant at Hafnarstræti 15 one of the oldest restaurants in continuous operation in Iceland. This may not seem like anything special to a foodie from mainland Europe, but the restaurant tradition in Iceland is very young. For a diverse list of reasons—a small population, geographic isolation, a lack of disposable income among the general
populace, and perhaps even lack of faith in Iceland being capable of operating quality kitchens—it was hard to sustain such businesses until relatively recently.
Shifting landscape Hlynur Jakobsson is the son of the founders, and helps run the place. Speaking mid-service over steaming pots of pasta, he described how the tourist boom has affected Hornið. “There has been a lot of growth in restaurants and pop-up restaurants in downtown Reykjavík in a small area,” he says. “We have more competition—but there’s always been competition. The big change has been the spread of the twofor-one deals, as locals now expect to pay half as much anywhere they go.” Hornið clearly hasn’t been deterred by the shifting culinary landscape, sticking to their ladles and continuing to serve dependable Italian fare. This is a continuation of their pioneering work in introducing Italian food to Iceland. They are generally thought to be the first to serve made-to-order pizza in Iceland. It
“Dad had to make the pepperoni from scratch, and we couldn’t find coffee beans anywhere in the country.”
was love at first sight, and locals have been gobbling it up ever since. "We’ve had the Italian focus from day one,” says Hlynur. “The only Italian thing you’d get before we opened was spaghetti with tomato sauce. I think my dad picked it up in Denmark, and even though we are doing simple food we had to figure out everything ourselves. Dad had to make the pepperoni from scratch, and we couldn’t find coffee beans anywhere in the country, so we had to source it ourselves.”
The deep To coincide with the occasion, Hornið has reopened their basement jazz bar, Djúpið. Dormant since the turn of the century, the bar was well-known as a hang-out for dipsomaniac journalists, and for giving bands their first gig. One band who played their first concert there, under the name of Victory Rose, later changed their name to Sigur Rós. “The jazz bar was another concept we helped introduce to Iceland,” says Hlynur. As our time comes to an end, I ask Hlynur what Hornið’s secret is. He gets a wistful look in his eye (or maybe it’s the onions he’s cutting). “It’s a family business from start to finish,” he says. “My dad is still working 40 years later, and myself, my brother and sister divide the roles between us. We don’t change things much, so two generations can sit down and know exactly what to expect. I think the family bond and consistency are the two biggest reasons we’re still around after all this time.”
plaice Tomatoes, capers, parsley, lemon and butter
2,200 isk
salmon (lacTose–free) Parsnip, broccoli, cashews, coconut oil, chili and lemon
2,200 isk
B E S T T HA I F O O D 2 0 1 9
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Ban Thai is not “fast food” restaurant food made fresh from scratch, it‘s not pre-made, every meal take some time to cook,
The Reykjavík Grapevine 45 Issue 11— 2019
You're supposed to share. But Shruthi was hungry
Passport to Spain
Tortillas, tapas and tinto de verano at Björgarðurinn
of small-plate menus with ‘tapas’ style portions and dishes regardless of cuisine. I’m curious how Esteban sees that. “I think it’s good,’’ he says. “Today there is everything from Pakistani pizza to American pizza. It isn’t just Italian. Tapas, too, is a global thing. And people know it is from Spain.’’
Diverse regional food
Words: Shruthi Basappa Photo: Art Bicnick
Tapas evenings at Björgarðurinn Visit the restaurant at Þórunnartún 1, Wednesday to Saturday, 3pm to 10pm
“There is something between Icelandic people and Spanish people,” says Esteban Morales, as he sets down a platter of tortilla pintxos in front of us. “I don’t know exactly what it is, but Spanish people feel well and comfortable in Iceland, and Icelandic people feel good in Spain. Maybe it’s the Gulf Stream that we share, I don’t know,” he laughs. True or not, it’s indisputable that Icelanders have long enjoyed travelling to Spain. Our love for Spanish food has until now been satiated with aspirations of locally reimagined tapas joints. Chefs Esteban Morales and Ernesto Moré are determined to fill that lacuna with their tapas evenings at Björgarðurinn.
Tapas and Pintxos A tapa is a hot or cold appetizer or snack, typically had with drinks in Spain. Originally meant as something to cover the top of one’s drink—or so some claim—today it has evolved into one of the cornerstones of Spanish cuisine. While anything in small portions is a tapa, a pintxo is usually a topping speared or ‘pinched’ to a slice of bread. On this occasion we sampled vegan seitan pintxos with a silky escalivada. “We want
So what can diners expect from the tapas evenings at Björgarðurinn? “Unlike in Spain, in Iceland we to offer something for everyone. don’t have vermuterias or tapeNormally tapas are usually meat or rias. So a place like Björgarðurinn is idea l,’’ Esteban fish,” Esteban points ex pla i n s. ’’I w a nt out, “but our seitan to showcase the diis house-made and versity of regional we’d like vegans to be Spanish food, like tapas lovers too.” The this gazpacho.” He seitan is smokey and passes around some the texture so meaty t h ick , z i ng y soup that many of us were made w ith f resh successfully fooled. tomatoes. “It ’s an A nda lusian dish. The Tortilla There is Cata lan Test food, Basque food, But the true test of Ga lician food and a taperia is its torValencian food. I’d tilla. Essentially an like people to know omelet te w ith poSpain more—it isn’t t at o e s , t h e s p ud s just Flamenco dancand onions are poached in olive ers and beaches.” oil, eggs stirred in, cooked and If the first week was any indiflipped. Here, the tortilla is a gen- cation, the tapas nights are off to erous hunk, with fluffy potatoes, a splendid start. The hauntingly custardy eggs in go o d mu s ic by the middle, and Reynir Hauksson enough onions to t ra n sp or t s one bring them all toto Granada, and gether. My Spanthe Flamenco ish dining comdancing ends up panions heartily stirring everyone approve. onto t hei r feet Typically dinby the end of the ners are late afnight. The reafairs in Spain and s on a b l y-pr i c e d ‘ir de tapas’ or to bites—from 390 go bar hopping ISK to 890 ISK— Grab it before it's gone and snack along are an attractive the way is the cusoffer, rounded off tomary stop gap until dinner. This with plenty of tinto de verano red laid-back social grazing is hugely wine spritz. Perhaps, a little slice popular, and—unsurprisingly— of Spain resides in Reykjavík after borrowed across the world. all. There continues to be a trend
“There’s Catalan food, Basque food, Galician food, Valencian food... Spain isn’t just Flamenco dancers and beaches.”
REYKJAVIK
EST. 2012
FRENCH ONION SOUP Icelandic Ísbúi cheese, croûtons
2.390 kr.
MOULES MARINIÈRES
steamed mussels from Breiðafjörður
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FISH OF THE DAY chef´s special
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Lunch offer from 11:30 - 14:00 1.990 kr.
ÓÐINSTORG | 101 | REYKJAVÍK | ÍSLAND SNAPSBISTRO.IS | +354 5116677
Travel
The Reykjavík Grapevine 46 Issue 11— 2019
Heat In The Highlands A solstice road trip to the hot springs of Kjölur Words: a rawlings Photos: John Rogers & a rawlings
Distance from Reykjavík: 194 km How to get there: Routes 36, 365, & 35 (aka Kjölur) Note: Kjölur is a gravel road requiring a 4x4 Acommodation provided by: kerlingarfjoll.is View this QR code in your phone camera to visit our recommended tour booking site
The dusty Kjölur F-Road
Iceland’s summer solstice is marked by 24 hours of sun above the horizon, making it possible to watch the sun circumnavigate the sky. This year, solstice lands on June 21st, a Friday, the perfect day to seek out a ritual to mark this pagan holiday. Where midsummer is celebrated with bonfires in other Nordic countries, we make ritual out of a pilgrimage to the natural geothermal fires in the heart of Iceland’s Kerlingarfjöll mountain range. Unlike last year’s sixty straight days of rain, the start of this year’s summer boasts blue skies, sun, and temperatures in the teens. So much sun, in fact, that the Icelandic Civil Protection authorities declared a persistent drought in the west, warning to take care with human-made fires. With precipitous precipitation and fickle weather the norm, such a dry spell is cause for concern in the land of ice and fire. The farmlands surrounding the Highlands in the southwest remain verdant despite the drought. As we approach the Highlands, the foliage of southwest Iceland thins to dwarfbirch scrubland, patches of moss, and the occasional stronghold of invasive Alaskan lupin. An early crop of cottongrass (“fífa,” in Icelandic, pronounced “fee-vah”) strains its white tufts in the
breeze, and we break into an adapted chorus of Little Willie John’s “Fever”: “Fee-vah! In the morning, fee-vah all through the night!”
Orange dust balloon When the last patch of lupin fades from sight, we know we have officially entered the volcanic desert of Iceland’s Highlands. Here, the lack of rain is palpable. Plumes of orange dust balloon behind every 4x4 driving the Kjölur trail. Our ride adapts happily to the rough gravel F-road, chugging a decent 40-50 kph along the recently improved route. The road is only open during the summer months—and even then only to 4x4 vehicles—but often closes during winter. Solstice marks time—24-hours of daylight, the longest day of the year. We pop arctic thyme foraged fresh from the desert to taste homonym.
Gods’ garden party We arrive at Ásgarður—“The Gods’ Garden” in English, and the name of the old Ásatrú gods’ home. The Ásgarður valley cradles Kerlingarfjöll’s mountain resort, where a burbling river flows past the campsite flanked by
A geothermal (foot) spa
a rhyolite sphinx. The resort has several good options for rest, including the campsite, charming A-frame chalets, and other newer accommodation buildings. A 45-minute hike up the valley offers a geothermal hot spring for those seeking a natural bath. We receive keys to La Plata, a charing and basic cabin overlooking the valley, its red paint weather-worn by rough seasons. What it lacks in facilities, it makes up for with views; from our bedroom windows, we see the glaciers Langjökull to the northwest and Hofsjökull to the northeast. The resort bustles with visitors, including several transient international campers. A dozen American teenagers, aged 13 and 14, finish off their Moondance Adventures twoweek journey through Iceland with the midnight sun, plokkfiskur, and a game of hearts at Kerlingarfjöll. But the bulk of the visitors have arrived for a special event—a solstice wedding on the bank of the Ásgarðsá river.
A solstice ritual After dinner, with the sun beaming as though mid-day, we set out for the geothermal wonders of Kerlingarfjöll. One of the largest geothermal areas in Europe, its hot springs and mud pools
The gateway to the Highlands
“The hot springs and mud pools of Kerlingarfjöll are magic incarnate. It’s the ultimate solstice destination.” are magic incarnate. Rhyolite scree paints the rolling hills in orange and yellow hues. It is the ultimate solstice destination, and we arrive to find its carefully appointed boardwalks and
The Kerlingarfjöll base camp
Tea cup lichen at Hveravellir
hill hikes empty of other humans. The air fills with the acrid scent of sulphur, and we gulp in the odd smell—for we know it means geothermal is nearby. We pick our way carefully, hurriedly down wood planks to the first sulphuric fumarole. Steam hisses from a vent, and water boils beneath the earth’s surface. We lay down by the phenomenon to angle our ears closer to the geothermal soundscape. But we don’t linger for long. A bridge invites us over a chattering creek, lined with more
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steam vents and boiling masses. The boardwalk disappears and we step timidly along soft yellow ground. To our left is an expanse of sulphur crystals and boiling mud pools, each bubbling puddle a fascination for eye, ear, and nose. One hand laid on the yellow ground reveals geothermal heat beneath the surface on which we crouch. It’s a bewitching, dangerous path, and we learn its beauty with each tentative step. Up and down hills we wander, watching the northwest sun play with clouds. The landscape shifts its warm colours with each dip of cloud shadow. Fumaroles and mud pools fill the slopes of the rhyolite hills. Time slides past us.
Varma Factory Store Ármúla 31, Reykjavík
As the sun dips beneath a taller hill, we find the ideal site for ritual. On the nearby riverbank, work has begun to construct a geothermal bathing area. The hot spring’s boiling water slides into a freezing subarctic stream, mixing to a pleasing 37 degrees. We take off our hiking boots and wool socks, and slide our feet into a small waterfall. Water bubbles and gurgles over our toes as we make one wish at this solstice shift.
Warm ground, warm hearts After a sumptuous sleep in La Plata, we awake to full sun and two glaciers. Our trusty steed gal-
Opening hours: Thursdays ................15:00 - 18:00 Fridays .....................15:00 - 18:00
lops again over the rocky F-road of Kjölur as we wind our way north to the geothermal oasis of Hveravellir. This valley is marked by multiple small geysers and calcified rock formed from hot water flowing in thin bursts over years. Peculiar mounds of sulphur belch fumarole steam into the air. We’ve found yet another hot spot in Iceland’s vast inland desert. Each geyser boils a different rhythm, and we delight at the tiny eruptions spitting water from underground. After meandering the boardwalk of Hveravellir, we hike into the surrounding lava field in search of circular a’a lava formations. Lava bubbles have cracked
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into knolls, populated with flora and great nesting grounds for rock ptarmigan. Upon cresting one knoll, we startle a ptarmigan into flight, shuddering loose a few downy feathers as it careens into the field, croaking with surprise. The knoll itself is a haven for lichen and moss. We spot tea-cup lichen tiny enough to hold dew for a fairy’s drink. Reindeer lichen proliferates. Black lichen curls a witchy bouquet on basalt. The intimate witnessing activated by our geothermal walk extends to close encounters with these lavafield inhabitants. We are once again warmed by the abundance of curious lives who flourish in the heart of Iceland.
Travel At The Speed Of Birds A road trip to the eyris and eyries of the Westfjords Words: a rawlings Photos: John Rogers & a rawlings
Distance from Reykjavík: 470 km How to get there: Route One North, Routes 60 & 61 to the Westfjords More information: einarshusid.is
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Our gas is running on fumes as we emerge from the belly of the mountain, driving north out of a long single-lane tunnel into the Westfjords’ picturesque Súgandafjörður. As the road winds down the west bank, kittiwakes and fulmars glide alongside the car. We follow the birds. A rainbow paints the fjord’s mouth as birds and car slow into the quaint fishing village of Suðureyri. With a population of just 300 people, Suðureyri offers a firsthand experience of an environmentally engaged community in an isolated fjord. The village marina holds an international eco-label Blue Flag for its sustainable environmental management. Suðureyri’s local school is one of two internationally recognised ecoschools in the Westfjords, awarded a Green Flag by the Foundation for Environmental Education. This village haven immerses the visitor immediately in the homely comfort of a rural community aware of its interdependence with the ecosystem. The swimming pool is nestled at the foot of Breiðafjall, offering a welcome opportunity to contemplate the mountain. After our morning soak and mountain meditation, the pool’s manager, Ívar, recommends plokkfiskur at Fisherman Café. We head there next.
True fishing town Fisherman is a major attraction for Westfjords authenticity and environmental education done well. The ambitious establishment offers accommodation, a café, a restaurant and a gourmet seafood tour to experience local practices. By the end
Oyster catchers lay their eggs on gravel—including car parks
of our meal, we are on a first-name basis with Viktoria, our café hostess, who we ask to share the secret of the plokkfiskur recipe. No conspiracy is required—it's on proud display in the back room. Suðureyri proves a warm welcome to Westfjords hospitality.
Star-crossed plovers After our soak and bite, it’s time to fly to our next post. Suðureyri’s only gas pump is permanently closed, so we weigh our options and opt to continue towards Flateyri rather than backtracking to Ísafjörður to refuel. We tunnel into the mountain again, driving south and west for dark kilometres until we emerge to overlook Önundarfjörður. The valley stretches far below, with the North Atlantic strung by an unexpected white-sand beach on its western bank. We turn right and coast into Flateyri’s gas station with barely a drop left in our tank. The gas pumps have yellow tape haphazardly wrapped around them, with a hand-scribbled “lokað” sign announcing they are out of service. The station’s staff explains the pumps will open in two hours, as they are being restocked, so we commit to a walking tour of Flateyri. Yet another tunnel—this time containing a footpath instead of a road— beckons us up to the hill above the town. Lupins line the path, and we sound our voices in echoic booms and hoots as we pass through the tunnel. Our vocal experiment has roused golden plovers and common snipes. Plovers lure us with “tuuuuu” up the path to ward us from their nests. Snipes murmur their neighs from the East—a sign of good luck in Icelandic folklore. Following the birds rewards us with a lovely view
The beautiful beach at Önundarfjörður
of Flateyri and gravel bank on which it was built. Flatey ri is even sma l ler than Suðureyri, with a population of under 200 people. Walking into the village proper, a sign demarks the presence of Iceland’s oldest store—a bookstore that turns out to be a charming time capsule of the village’s history. On the main street, we pass several signs nodding to the local tradition of shark fishing, and the bar Vagninn, where the reggae band Hjalmar sets up for their evening performance as part of the town’s summer festival. The two hours fly by, and we’re greeted with green lights when we return to the gas station to fill our car.
side grass, three eggs ready to hatch. The enticing beach is a safe distance from ducks’ and terns’ breeding grounds. Socks and shoes slip off rapidly. The sand is warm, and the North Atlantic an almost Mediterranean aquamarine blue. We are beach babes below the Arctic circle, plodging and beachcombing on a mid-teens summer day. After a walk under the pier, our desire to learn the secrets of the final eyri pulls us from our shoreline saunter, so we pile back into the car in search of our next bird guide.
Wait your tern
After crossing the mountain pass to Dýrafjörður, Þingeyri appears across the bay. Oystercatchers line the road. Plump black-and-white bodies look at odds with the shock of neon orange beaks bleating cheeps as we park the car. One waddles from a gravel nest, where we spy three more eggs, similarly splotched to the tern eggs, but larger in size. The village of Þingeyri feels the most like the place to root and roost after a pleasant day exploring the fjords. Simbahöllin Café has a strong roast brewing, and we refuel ourselves with a coffee in anticipation of the drive back to Ísafjörður, through the tunnels and fjords. The village feels lived-in, familiar, comfortable. If only we could stay to share the local gossip, learn to play the langspil, and take up residency in the co-working centre of Blábankinn. But there are more birds to follow, and more slow travel in our futures, so we set off home, our dreams ready to hatch and soar.
Traversing the trio of eyris—Suðureyri, Flateyri, and Þingeyri— is a favourite road trip in the Westfjords. “Eyri” translates as a sand or gravel bank, and it is on such banks that these three villages have prospered. It’s almost shocking, really, to see life thrive on such slender spits of rock and sand between the imposing Westfjordian mountains and the cold ocean. As we backtrack along the 20km fjord, we decide to stop at a proper, unpopulated eyri—the white-sand eyri by Holt farm. We roll our car through a sand-dune track towards the ocean. The sand dunes are a protected nesting ground for eider ducks, so we inch along to minimise disturbance of the area. Scores of arctic terns circle their warnings above our car as we crawl along the track. One insistent mother tern hovers outside the windscreen, swooping and cawing. We soon spot the cause for her concern: in the road-
The world is our oystercatcher
An angry kría, taking a turn outside the windshield
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Travel
Distance from Reykjavík: 470 km How to get there: Routes One North then Routes 60 & 61 Further information: flateyribookstore.com
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The Time Traveller
Eyþór Jóvinsson rolls back the years in The Old Bookstore of Flateyri Words & Photo: John Rogers The tiny Westfjords town of Flateyri juts out into the blue sea of Önundarfjörður on a thin spit of land. The main street has a quiet café, an empty sports field and a lonely gas station. On the pavement, a sole sign proudly proclaims: “Home of Iceland’s oldest store.” The store in question is The Old Bookstore. I walk into the wood-lined storefront to find the shopkeeper, Eyþór Jóvinsson, behind the counter. He’s dressed in a tweed three-piece suit, and smiles broadly, saying, “Hello! Welcome!”
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Eyþór, it turns out, is the greatgrandson of the store’s founder. “My great-grandfather started this business,” he says. He gestures to a display of open ledgers with small hand-written entries filling the pages. “We can trace every penny that has come from the business from day one. I can tell you what we sold exactly 100 years ago.” Inquiring about the reading habits of people four generations ago, however, is a no-go. “It was just a general store, back then,” says Eyþór. “In 1919, we didn’t even sell books. You needed a license to sell books back in those
days. In 1920, we got a license. One corner was the book section. Everything else was food.”
An eccentric selection The books today are mostly second-hand, and sold by weight for 1,000 ISK per kilogramme. The selection spans everything from nature to medicine to competitive swimming, and from Icelandiclanguage textbooks to Bridget Jones—and two copies of the David Beckham autobiography. “One of them is in Icelandic,” says Eyþór. “It’s probably the only book I have in two languages.” There’s also a selection of new editions, including the Halldór Laxness classic ‘World Light’ and Jón Kalman’s ‘Heaven and Hell.’
“Many of them are connected to Flateyri,” says Eyþór. “For example, ‘World Light’ is about a guy who
was born in Flateyri, and spent his first year being raised here. And then of course ‘Independent People’. And then ‘I Remember You’—one character in that book lives in Flateyri as well. And then Jón Kalman—just because I love this book. It takes place in a small fishing village 100 years ago. When I read it, I can easily place it in this town.” There are also some photo books made by Eyþór himself, and others by his friends and associates. It’s an eccentric selection, but one gets the feeling that in this particular store, that’s the continuation of a great tradition.
Walk-in time capsule The store also acts as a time capsule—both figurative and literal. Visitors can write messages and post them to future Flateyri residents who’ll read them in 100 years. Across the hallway lies the perfectly preserved apartment of the store’s founders—Eyþór’s great-grandparents—who moved there in 1915. It’s a treasure trove of old photographs and decorations, a box of bookbinding tools, and fascinating period furniture and accoutrements. “Absolutely nothing has been changed since they passed away,” says Eyþór. “My great-grandfather passed away in 1950, and my great-grandmother in 1983—and this house is just how it was that day. Museums have reconstructed homes in the way they think people lived—but this apartment is how it was.” As I step back out into the street, and the new millennium, s om et h i n g t el l s m e Eyþór’s forebears would be proud that he’s still keeping the lights on at The Old Bookstore.
The Reykjavík Grapevine 51 Issue 11— 2019
Island Life
Hot news from the cold countryside Words: Andie Fontaine Luxury Travel Guide has announced that, for the second year in a row, West Iceland is the Winter Destination of Europe for 2019. Quite an honour, and entirely unsurprising— Snæfellsnes in particular has often been called “Iceland in miniature” on account of the vast array of natural wonders that can be found there year round.
Residents of the northeast town of Egilsstaðir have had a few reservations about the new Coast Guard surveillance drone which was recently put into operation; amongst them, that the drone would be spying on people just trying to live their lives in the region. The Coast Guard, however, has provided assurances that the drone will only be conducting surveillance when it is flying over the sea, guarding Iceland’s eastern coast.
The famed Ölfusár bridge, aka that bridge you drive over when entering Selfoss from Reykjavík, is getting a makeover this summer. Sandblasters will go over the main framework of the bridge, and then it will be painted wine red, which is the official colour of the Selfoss Youth Association. The paint job will give the iconic bridge a little more pop and pizzazz.
Best Of Iceland
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A selection of winners from our Best Of Iceland travel magazine
South: Best Café Friðheimar
Reykjanes: Best Museum Viking World
West: Best Pool Krauma
Fríðheimar, near Flúðir, is a café experience like no other. Located inside a large tomato greenhouse, it’s a verdant haven where you can taste soups, pasta sauces and Bloody Marys that are as fresh as possible. There’s a bread buffet to fill up on, and basil plants on the table to garnish your delicious homegrown tomato soup. Eating amongst the vines rejuvenates your mind, body and spirit. Booking recommended.
There are a lot of Viking-themed stops around Iceland, but nowhere else will you find a full longboat replica. Viking World in Njarðvík allows you to set foot on the Íslendingur, a longboat built in 1996 and modelled after the famous Gokstad vessel—a close-to-complete Viking ship that was excavated in Norway in 1882. You’ll also find a Smithsonian-produced exhibition spanning the Viking era.
Asking for an Icelander’s favourite bathing spot is sensitive business. One panellist said their favourite is “somewhere I want to keep a secret so it doesn’t get too busy.” Still, several panellists sang the praises of the Krauma spa, with one declaring it a “10/10.” It’s a stark and stylish place featuring steam rooms and hot pots powered by the sulphurous water of Deildartunguhver. Your muscles will thank you.
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Sæmundargötu 11, 101 Reykjavík Tel +354 551 7030 — www.nordichouse.is
The Reykjavík Grapevine 52 Issue 10 — 2018 Loki flies back to share the news with Þórr and Freyja. Þórr says, “Well, Freyja, put on your dress already. We have a wedding to get to!” Insulted, Freyja retorts, “I would never fuck a giant! Gross.” (She cannot say the same of dwarves, however, as she once rode four of them in a row in exchange for a necklace.)
And may the best woman win
EDDA RECAP
Þrymskviða The Poem of Þrymur
Words: Grayson Del Faro Photo: Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
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In this series, we illuminate the individual poems of the Edda–that most famous, epic masterpiece of Icelandic literary tradition–with humour, vulgarity and modern realness. If you're still confused, Google 'Saga Recap.'
This poem is one of the shortest, sweetest, and funniest things to ever happen to Old Norse society. It’s about Þórr and his zany hijinks, but, most importantly, it features something that even the mainstream world of basic bitches has finally welcomed with open arms: drag queens! (Thanks, RuPaul’s Drag Race! And more importantly, thanks Drag-Súgur!) It’s a good year to be Þrymskviða.
Gentlemen, start your engines One day, Þórr wakes to find his special hammer missing. He throws a tantrum like the manchild that he is, yelling at Loki to go and find the hammer for him. Loki borrows a magic shirt from Freyja that allows him to fly. Since Þórr has a bad habit of brutally butchering giants for shits and giggles, he figures Giantland is a good place to look. He flies straight up to a giant named Þrymur and asks, “Did you steal Þórr’s hammer?” “Sure did,” the smug bastard tells him. “And he won't get it back again until the goddess Freyja marries me!”
TV GODDESS
Grimm Pickings Lóa takes on the world of TV Words: Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir A few nights ago I was scavenging Netflix for anything I could have playing in the background while working. My criteria are simple: a series to have more than two seasons, it must be somewhat entertaining, and it can't have anything to do with sexual predators. After rummaging around for a while, I came across Grimm. Six seasons, non-sexual monsters, 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, whoop! Relieved, I lowered my butt into the
butt-shaped groove I’ve diligently fashioned in the sofa and hit play, At first, the show reminded my of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I got excited, but then I remembered there's no Buffy and no Spike. More importantly, there are no jokes. The two things the series have in common are visual effects where people's faces turn into monsters and the stories are entertaining. The premise of the show is a spin on the classic fairytales by the Brothers Grimm—the monsters
Although he objects as well, their only option is to dress Þórr up in Freyja’s wedding clothes, complete with the aforementioned necklace. Loki is low-key super jealous and offers to dress as a handmaid in order to accompany Þórr to his “wedding.” So there you have it. Two super macho Norse gods waltz up into Giantland in full drag, serving bridal realness. And Þrymur is liiiiiving for it. They sit down to feast and Þrymur is a little bit put off that “Freyja” has eaten a whole cow, eight salmon, every single dessert, and chugged three whole barrels of mead. “Damn, she hungry!” he says. Her “maid” explains that she was so excited that she didn’t eat for days before coming. Þrymur peeks under “Freyja’s” veil and is gagged. “Damn, she ugly too!” he says. Her “maid” explains that she is so excited she hasn’t slept either. Þrymur makes his sister bring in Mjölnir so they can swear their marital oath over it. Þórr grabs the hammer, crushes the skulls of Þrymur and his sister, slaughters all the other guests, does a sickening death drop, and sashays away. Talk about a red wedding, henny. Morals of the story: 1. Drag is art. 2. Weddings always end in disappointment.
and gore are lovely. There is even a book with pencil drawings of all sorts of creatures that the main character is leafing through to read up on the weirdness he's dealing with. I can't tell you more about him except he's a cop in Portland named Nick Burkhardt and he's got American hair. I can't tell you more about the monsters except they are called Wesen, which I found funny because the word “vesen” in Icelandic means “a minor nuisance.” I couldn't for the life of me name a single actor or actress. In fact, all the cast looks like they are some famous actor's uncle or sister. I wish someone would remake this with a better script and better actors. I wish I had the number of Joss Whedon so I could ignore time zones and annoy him in the middle of the night with this “great idea."
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54 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11— 2019
WELL, YOU ASKED
What Is The World Coming To? Words: Felix Robertson
Is Reykjavík safe? I don’t want to ven– ture into any BAD neighbourhoods! W it h a c r i me r at e merel y 291 times lower than Vatican City, it’s reasonable to be wary about crime in Iceland’s capital. Certainly in some of Reykjavík’s ghettoes you need to keep your wits about you. Recently some hapless tourists ventured into the dark underbelly of Reykjavík and actually tripped over a cat. Others have described seeing houses that Icelanders actually live in, rather than just Airbnbs. What a slum! Be careful out there, folks. Recently, a friend of mine came out as cisgender. While I respect all gender identities, I do wonder if my friend is just trying to be cool and trendy, as it seems everyone is cis these days. Should I call them out? Of course you should call them out. People only make changes as profound and life-changing as this to be cool and trendy, obvs. Have you tried asking if it’s just a phase? That normally works. Or just accept them for who they are— but whoever heard of that?
WAR OF THE NERDS
Never Underestimate A Drifter Nerds of EVE Online decimated by NPCs
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Eve Online Last week, the nerds of the MMORPG EVE Online were shocked by a surprise attack—no, not of heart disease from all the Dominos consumption—but by a hoard of NPCs that have destroyed everything in their wake. Enter the douchebag Drifters.
Attack! For losers, a NPC (non-playable character) is someone created by the developers, meaning there’s no human on the other side of it, just a bleak computer-generated consciousness. In EVE, one of these NPC factions are the Drifters—think space pirates—who, until now, have been but a minor annoyance. That is, until completely out of
nowhere, hoards of them attacked every square inch of the Null-sec region of space—more or less the wild, wild west of EVE—en masse, destroying everything in their path. Nerds around the world sat in shock as they watched their carefully constructed citadels and ships fall to what they would have previously considered mosquitos. Seriously, watch it on Twitch. It’s comedy gold.
Ozymandias returns While this might seem like a normal thing to happen in an online game, in EVE, it’s completely unprecedented. The foundation of the game has always been playeron-player drama, complete with all the espionage, theft and war
Two EVE Online players, chilling and having fun
that entails. Never has NPC-drama even entered the consciousness of players as a notable problem. Before this, getting killed by a Drifter would be totally embarrassing. That said, with the onslaught of Drifters, all other wars in the system have been halted. The Imperium and TEST Alliance have retreated to their home stations and
all over-space campaigns called off. Multiple Reddit threads had players pleading surrender to the developers. So perhaps this was a good thing, an Ozymandias-esque move to promote peace in the system. When reached for comment, the Drifters simply burned down the Grapevine office. Pity.
CITY SHOT by Art Bicnick
How do I become a Social Media influencer? It’s actually not that hard. All you need to do is set up a sinisterly named transnationa l cor poration wh ich harvests user data on a sweeping and systematic scale and use this information to twist digital algorithms and spread politically extreme hate sp eech . Cong rat u lat ion s, you’re inf luencing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and destroying the post-war economic consensus to boot. But if election manipulation isn’t quite your bag, you can keep tagging @ hudabeauty in the hope that she will notice you among her 37.7 million followers, until the existential horror of your miserably warped societal priorities becomes too much, and you just go off and read a book. S end your unsolvable (UNTIL NOW ) problems to editor@grapevine.is or tweet us at @rvkgrapevine. Make Reykjavík green again!
The House at Eyrarbakki
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Árnessýsla Heritage Museum is located in Húsið, the House, historical home of the Danish merchants built in 1765. Húsið is one of the oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful monument of Eyrarbakki´s time as the biggest trading place on the south coast. Today one can enjoy exhibitions about the story and culture of the region, famous piano, shawl made out of human hair and the kings pot, are among items. Húsið prides itself with warm and homelike atmosphere.
Opening hours: May 1st - September 30th daily 11.00-18.00 or by an agreement Tel: +354 483 1504 & +354 483 1082 info@byggdasafn.is byggdasafn.is
Experience the amazing LangjĂśkull glacier from the inside A rare, once in a lifetime opportunity
k Ă v a j k y e R d n a r e t n e c l l e f a s Ăş H m o r f s e r u t r a p Daily de
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Issue 11 × 2019 July 5th—July 18th www.grapevine.is
L I F E , T R AV E L & E N T E R TA I N M E N T I N I C E L A N D
DAY TOURS WE GUIDE IN 10 LANGUAGES
LAST WORDS
The Secret Is Out Words: John Rogers Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
Whether you love it or loathe it, heart it or unfollow it, today’s Iceland is an Instagrammer’s dream. Sure, visitors to Iceland want to experience nature and feel waterfall spray on their faces—but they also want to keep their iPhone screens dry whilst documenting themselves doing it. And hey, whatever. We don’t judge. The Grapevine has an Instagram, and we too take pleasure in communicating how humbling, mesmerising and sublime Iceland’s wilderness can be. Over the last decade and a half, we’ve visited the most remote parts of the country to express this stunning place to our readers. Recently, however, a new type of comment has started appearing on such posts. Replies like “Please don’t give away this place!” and “This isn’t for everyone!” have become frequent, from Icelanders, expats and visitors alike. It’s a strange phenomenon, given that these commenters read Grapevine for the very articles they’re asking us not to post. After all, the Grapevine isn’t some all-powerful megaphone that directs the Goretex masses to every bathing place we cover. Nor are we gatekeepers of what our readers shouldn’t know about—but rather a gateway to what they should. And if someone sees one of our shots and decides to rent a 4x4 and drive 400km to an obscure F-road in the Westfjords to take a dip? They’ve most definitely earned it. That said, we sympathise with people who are concerned about the effects of tourism on nature. On this, we agree, and we take every opportunity to encourage respect for the landscape, and to hold those in power accountable for improving infrastructure and providing proper parking, signage, marked trails, and other basic facilities. But for those who think this country’s wild places are somehow their secret to keep? Jog on, people. It was never yours, and you should really get used to sharing.
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Snowmobiles on Mýrdalsjökull ATV’s on Black Sand Beaches with visit to Plane Wreck
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